North Kerala’s fast-vanishing Kaavus, or sacred groves, have been miniature rainforests that serve as an “intangible umbilical cord” connecting the flora, fauna and belief, marking an aesthetic symbiosis. For example, nux vomica, a tree known for absorbing harmful emissions, is commonly found in a traditional sacred grove, underscoring the kind of “cultural hybridisation” of nature and the local inhabitants, which …
