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Thiruvananthapuram District Sacred Groves (Kerala, regional)
Thiruvananthapuram district, southern Kerala
India
Active but declining
Regional cluster
- Location
- Thiruvananthapuram district, southern Kerala
- Coordinates
- ~8.5°N 77.0°E (region)
- Size
- Varies (family-scale to forest remnants)
- Age / Founded
- Traditional (temple/tarvad groves)
- Status
- Active but declining
- Deity & Religion
- Hindu temple/family deities; some Muslim families
- Community & Guardians
- Hindu & Muslim families (ancestral tarvads)
- Vernacular name
- Kaavu (Sarpakavu = serpent grove)
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Family/temple worship; refugium for rare flora
Plant species
New Kerala records: Cadaba trifoliata, Drypetes sepiaria, Justicia betonica var. ramosissima
Biome & fauna
Southern Kerala lowland forest groves (Kaavu)
Threats & protection
Lost to agriculture/urbanization & temple revitalization
Source
Santhosh Kumar et al., 'Sacred Grove Flora of Kerala – I: New Plant Records for Kerala'