Adavi is a collaborative effort of the HCL Foundation, Madurai Kamaraj University, and the DHAN Foundation. Initiated as an afforestation site in 2021 on four acres of degraded land, it has since been expanding towards 50 acres at the foot of the Nagamalai Hills in Madurai.
Madurai, locally called Marudhai, is believed to derive its name from the ‘Marudham’ tree (Terminalia arjuna), a species native to the riverine ecosystem (Marudham Thinai). In ancient times, it was also known as Kadamabavanam, meaning a forest of Kadamba trees (Mitragyna parvifolia). The region is known for its numerous sacred groves, ranging from small plots to vast expanses, which serve as untouched, less-disturbed ‘green commons’ preserving the native floral gene pool. Traditionally, these groves have been safeguarded through socio-cultural expressions of the ‘sacred.’
In a sacred grove, very few actions are permitted, but many are prohibited. Villagers are not allowed to enter with slippers, spit, pick twigs, flowers, fruits, or seeds, dispose of waste, look up, swing their hands, attempt encroachments, cut or introduce new trees, use the area for grazing, or remove fallen trees. These strict socio-cultural regulations play a crucial role in conserving the groves. The local herbal practitioners, regarded as stewards of these groves, are the only ones permitted to access herbs, which they use to save lives in the village. Occasionally, the local community gathers in these groves to worship folklore deities believed to protect them. Legends surrounding these deities often reveal that they were once marginalized individuals—those who either died tragically or were killed.
Despite these long-standing social norms and protective regulations, many sacred groves—some preserved for over five centuries—are under serious threat. The conversion of groves into sanctum sanctorums, encroachments, invasions by Prosopis and Lantana, and microclimatic changes pose significant challenges. Simultaneously, urbanization in Madurai is contributing to the loss of green spaces and the erosion of ecological wisdom accumulated over centuries.
Against this backdrop, key conservation elements of sacred groves were revisited and integrated into urban landscapes through a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders, including people from neighboring villages. In 2021, Adavi was initiated on four acres of severely degraded land, exposed to harsh sunlight for over five decades and invaded by exotic species. The landscape was rehabilitated using appropriate watershed techniques to harvest rainwater and replenish the groundwater table. Native and pioneering species were introduced to improve ground cover.
Thousands of native tree saplings—representing over 80 species—were planted. The harvested runoff brought in hundreds of associated species, primarily herbs and shrubs. Though many of these plants are seasonal and some potentially invasive, they have found a natural balance within the grove. These associated species contribute nutrients to the degraded soil and provide habitats for a wide range of fauna—from tiny ants, bugs, beetles, bees, flies, butterflies, and dragonflies to larger birds and animals. Four years since its inception, Adavi is steadily transforming into a thriving habitat.
So far, more than 150 associated species have emerged—including grasses, herbs, climbers, shrubs, and trees—not planted by hand, but brought by the winds and waters, birds and insects, dung and spit. While these associated species are often dismissed as weeds in agriculture, they play a crucial role in forming a rich habitat that supports diverse insect populations. They may be small—some only inches tall, with flowers just millimeters wide—and host insects that are minute in size, yet they contribute to a vast and intricate ecosystem. That is the beauty of the ‘small.’
Today, Adavi is home to over 500 insect species, more than 50 bird species—both aquatic and terrestrial—as well as hares, wild boars, and deer. It is not just financial and technical support that made Adavi possible. It was also the collective effort of the women of Adaikampatti, a neighboring village, along with the fungi, microbes, herbs, insects, creepy crawlers, and the monsoon.
Today, the conservation of sacred groves has become a subject of intellectual discourse in India—thanks to ESG frameworks, carbon credits, and global pressures to achieve carbon neutrality. Discussions are underway about the actions needed to conserve these groves. In this context, Adavi stands as an example of how new sacred groves can be created, and how native floral gene banks can be nurtured at a local scale by local communities—contributing to the fight against global warming and climate change.
Beyond frameworks and global pressures, sacred groves are socio-cultural green commons that resonate with the ecological oneness felt by communities. This truth is now realized by the women who pray for rain during long dry spells in Adavi.
