About this Sacred Grove

Devadanapatti Devi Sri Veerammal Sacred Grove is a 2.8 ha revered grove located in Devadanapatti Village, Periyakulam Taluk, Theni District, Tamil Nadu, dedicated to the powerful Gramadevi Devi Sri Veerammal, regarded as the guardian and protector of the village, cattle and crops. Historically Devadanapatti was a Devadana village (temple donated land) and as per local legend, the present grove was once a dense scrub forest in the Western Ghats foothills where villagers discovered a self-manifested (Suyambu) stone beneath an ancient Neem and Peepal tree that remained green even during severe droughts. The Goddess is believed to have appeared in the dream of a village elder revealing herself as Veerammal to protect the village boundary from evil and wild animals. Since then the surrounding forest is conserved as her sacred abode where felling of trees, plucking of leaves and hunting are strictly prohibited due to divine belief. The grove harbours dry deciduous species like Neem,  Aalamaram, Gulmohar supports birds, bats and reptiles, acting as a micro-climatic reserve, soil-moisture conserver and native seed bank. The annual Chithirai festival with Pongal and Mavilakku reinforces traditional conservation.

Location

Coordinates: 10.1446140, 77.6337650

Plants / Species (11)