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

[Kiran]

The intent of this book is to make visible how the ashwath katte or the peepul tree shrine continues to be a neighbourhood community space embedded in the physical and social fabric of the city. The book is the first part of an on-going research project that looks at the practice of tree worship which continues to be a part of the everyday culture of the people in the city of Bengaluru. Today, we are moving increasingly towards cities with more roads and flyovers for motorized traffic and less spaces for public interaction or spaces where unplanned, informal encounters can take place. We find that the ashwath katte is a traditional public space that holds lessons for us in terms of public space design and community governance.

You can read more about it here: https://www.everydaycitylab.com/ashwath-katte-project

[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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