The Sacred and the Public: the ashwath katte as a neighbourhood community space

[Khanjan]

This is very interesting. Such spaces are used for recreation and informal interactions as you mentioned, even in villages. This is a picture of a peepul tree shrine in a village in Andhra Pradesh. They may not be called Ashwath Kattes in AP, nevertheless, the use of such spaces remain the same across.

[Seema]

It’s interesting to know about the book and the study. ‘Ashwatha Kattes’ are seen in the villages as well. They are treated as human beings in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Once the plant attains 1000 leaves the community around it, decorates the plant and performs ‘Upanayana Sanskara’. The marriage of the tree is performed every year in the month of ‘Kartika’.
The ‘Katte’ not only provides a platform for public interactions but also women folk collectively make Papad and fryums on the ‘katte’ during summer months. These ‘Ashwatha Kattes’ plays a major role in weaving social fabric.

[Anonymous]

An interesting article about sacred groves:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220726-how-religious-worship-is-boosting-conservation-in-india?utm_source=pocket-newtab-intl-en

[Author]

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