In Kerala almost every nook of big houses (Tharavadu)of rich families and temples, there was a thick piece of jungle called Kavu or Sarpa kavu (grove or serpent grove) which during the Buddhist period was the adjunct of a Vihara where the bhikshus used to sit in meditation or for their relaxation. The serpents peacefully co-existed with the monks and often attended as a type of watchmen for their meagre holdings. As Brahminism became prevalent, these Kavus were transmuted into abodes snake gods along with the worship of the fierce deity Kali where blood sacrifices and drunken bouts were every day affairs.Some of the groves became centers of nightmarish fear for the simple folk or people in general that if they interfered with them, they would become victims of incurable diseases and their