Sacred Groves at Manav Sangrahalay
Nature worship is an ancient Indian tradition. Sacred groves, representing one form of nature worship, are a component of the village landscape in Tamilnadu. Many groves have temples within them. While the residing deity in most of the sacred groves is the snake god, 'Ayappan', 'Murugan' and 'Amman' are also worshipped in some places. On full moon days, communities offer prayers collectively. The villagers believe that the groves provide livelihood directly or indirectly and restrict natural catastrophes. Many species of trees, shrubs & herbs, climbers etc. are grown in Kovil-Kadu. Apart from natural sacred groves, where natural vegetation has been protected, there are locally created sacred gardens. These are called Thirundavanas, meant exclusively for growing flowers for the deities. Such gardens are found in Srirangam, Chidambaram, Suchindram, Madurai and Srivilliputhur. The Kovil Kadu comprises of sculptures of Tamil folk deities and saplings from Tamilnadu.
