Abstract
Sacred groves (kāvu) in Kerala (South India) can be seen as places of cultural synthesis, integrating castes and faiths in the magico-religious context of festive rites. The local esoteric (tantric) traditions developed rituals to appease powerful but ambivalent forces of nature, earth-bound ghosts and animal spirits. In a way, the tantric ritualism of Kerala aims to create an understanding between humans and their natural environment in order to promote the coexistence of humans and a broadly defined nature that includes a spirit realm. According to local lore, the mystics of the land recognized the need to preserve natural sanctuaries where connection with other than ordinary realities is possible. By focusing on the interaction between tantric practice and the worship of nature spirits in the centers and peripheries of the kāvus, we will attempt to examine selected ritual practices in the groves of Kerala and show how devotees and tantric practitioners seek to connect with sacred nature and the “more-than-human world,” to use David Abram’s phrase. It can be said that the kāvus reject nature/culture dualism and locate both animals, humans and spiritual beings within an all-encompassing nature. Furthermore, we argue that the ritual patterns in the kāvus reveal the hidden intricacies of the meaning of the natural world for different communities (e.g. Brahmins, Nairs, Adivasis and others) living near the groves. The paper interprets previously unexamined textual sources (palm leaf manuscripts of tantric practitioners in Kerala) and incorporates insights from interviews with families who have inherited the sacred groves.
Presenters
Maciej Karasinski SrokaStudent, PhD Candidate, Stanford University, United States Isudev Isudev
Assistant Professor, Collegiate Education Department, Govt. Sanskrit College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
INDIGENOUS ECOLOGIES, ECO-SPIRITUALITY, ASIAN RELIGIONS, INTANGIBLE HERITAGE
