வேங்கை
Vengai
Pterocarpus marsupium
Golden-flowered tree of the hill country, sung of in the love poems of the Kurinji.
This experience has already taken place — see the photos in the Gallery.
View photos from this day →Full Moon Discovery Day · Part III
Plant a Poem
Bring a Tree from the Sangam Age Back to the Hills
Sunday, 25 October 2026Gates open 2:00 PMA circle of 50 only
Some wisdom is older than us. We are not inviting you as a customer. We are inviting you as someone we have not yet had the privilege of knowing.
Over two thousand years ago, Tamil poets of the Sangam age wrote of sacred native trees, like the Vengai, Kadamba, and Marutham, that shaded their hills, marked their villages, and bloomed through their love songs. Today, those verses survive in books, but the trees are slowly vanishing from the very hills that inspired them.
This Full Moon, we begin bringing them home.
Kaanagam is not a destination; it is a different relationship with the place we call home. Every full moon, our gates open for a new circle of strangers, walking the land, sharing a meal, and asking difficult questions. On Sunday, 25 October, you won't just walk the forest; you will contribute to its living memory.
With tree experts right at your side, you will plant a threatened native tree species from the Sangam canon, tag it with your name, and become its lifelong guardian. As the light turns golden, we will walk into the forest scattering seed balls rolled by hand by our community. Then, as the full moon rises over the trees we planted, we gather as one circle for live music, reflection, and a traditional tribal dinner beneath the open sky.
The Trees of the Sangam Canon
Trees that once sang, returning to the hills
Poets named them. Kings wore them. Villages grew around them. These are among the ancient trees we are bringing home. Which saplings you plant is chosen with our tree experts on the day.
கடம்பு
Kadambu
Neolamarckia cadamba
Sacred to Murugan; its round, fragrant blooms crowned gods and warriors alike.
மருதம்
Marutham
Terminalia arjuna
The riverbank giant that gave its name to an entire Sangam landscape.
நாவல்
Naaval
Syzygium cumini
The jambul tree, whose name once stood for the whole land: Naavalam Theevu.
கொன்றை
Konrai
Cassia fistula
Cascades of golden flowers, the signature bloom of the rains.
வாகை
Vaagai
Albizia lebbeck
Its blossom crowned the victor. A tree of triumph.
புன்னை
Punnai
Calophyllum inophyllum
Shade of the seashore, woven through the songs of the Neithal coast.
மகிழம்
Magizham
Mimusops elengi
Tiny star flowers whose scent outlasts the bloom.
இருப்பை
Iruppai
Madhuca longifolia
The mahua, bearer of sweet flowers loved by the forest's wildlife.
இலவம்
Ilavam
Bombax ceiba
The silk-cotton tree, flaming red before its leaves return.
நெல்லி
Nelli
Phyllanthus emblica
The gooseberry of Avvaiyar and Athiyaman, the fruit of long life.
பலா
Palaa
Artocarpus heterophyllus
The hill-dweller's jackfruit, sweet bounty of the Kurinji slopes.
பனை
Panai
Borassus flabellifer
The palmyra, whose leaves carried the poems themselves.
ஆல்
Aal
Ficus benghalensis
The banyan, village meeting-ground and shade of the elders.
வேம்பு
Vembu
Azadirachta indica
Bitter, healing neem, garlanded by the Pandya kings.
சந்தனம்
Chandanam
Santalum album
Sandalwood of the southern hills, cool, fragrant and sacred.
Sunday, 25 October
Your Evening, Hour by Hour
2:00 PM
The Gates Open
Leave the digital rush behind. Present your pass at the gate, cross into the quiet of the Anaikatti–Pudur forest belt, and meet the circle of strangers who will walk the land with you today.
3:00 PM
Some Wisdom is Older Than Us
Meet the Experts
Sit with field conservationists and tree specialists. Learn about threatened native flora and ask them the difficult questions about their lives protecting nature and wildlife.
4:00 PM
Rooted in Nature
Plant a Poem
Plant a rare, threatened native tree with tree experts beside you. Tag it with your name, map its exact coordinates, and step into your role as its guardian.
5:15 PM
United in Stewardship
The Golden Hour Seed Walk
Walk the forest paths as the afternoon light turns golden, scattering native seed balls hand-rolled by our community to help the wild reclaim its edges.
6:30 PM
One Circle Under the Moon
Hosted by RJ Vigneshkanth
As the full moon rises over the saplings we planted, we gather in a quiet circle hosted by RJ Vigneshkanth, accompanied by soulful live acoustic music under the night sky.
Full moon rises7:30 PM
Breaking Bread
A Tribal Dinner Beneath the Moon
Share a traditional tribal meal beneath the moonlight with families and thinkers who care about the kind of world we leave behind, before the gates close at 8:00 PM.
6:30 PM
As the full moon rises over the saplings we planted, we gather as one circle.
50
Why Only 50 Places?
In a world obsessed with “more,” we ask: how many is enough?
For this planting gathering, 50 is the size of a circle where every face becomes familiar and every sapling receives unhurried care. Every tree deserves your hands, an expert at your elbow, and a GPS-mapped spot we can find again in twenty years. Our rare saplings, mentors, and planting clearings are limited, so we keep this small on purpose. You will not be a face in a crowd. You will be known.
Enduring for Generations
What You Take Home
A Living Legacy
A rare native tree with your name on it, physically tagged and geo-mapped at Kaanagam (11°09′40.3″N 76°39′32.9″E).
A Digital Tree Guardian Card
Engraved with the Kaanagam emblem: your lifelong digital pass to follow your tree's growth whenever you like, for as long as it stands.
A Circle of Kinship
Relationships that begin naturally, not through networking, but through showing up with families who care about the land as you do.
A Story for Your Grandchildren
A day of reset in the forest with the people you love, and the quiet satisfaction of giving back to the earth.
Essential Details
Where the Forest Begins
Location
Kaanagam, Pudur, Keralam (via Anaikatti · 50 km from Coimbatore Airport)
11°09′40.3″N 76°39′32.9″E · Open in Google Maps
Timings
Gates open 2:00 PM · Programme 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Carry your pass on your phone or printed for gate registration.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, we plant on.
Forest Belt Advisory
Mobile signal drops completely on the stretch after the Anaikatti checkpost. Save Google Maps offline and top up fuel and cash in Anaikatti before entering the forest belt.
Location
Where the forest begins
Getting There
Mobile signal drops in the forest belt
Most carriers lose signal on the stretch after Anaikatti. Save this route and an offline map before you set out.
Quick Driving Route (Anaikatti → Kaanagam)
~18–20 km · 35–40 mins
Start
Anaikatti Checkpost (TN–Kerala border)
- 1Drive west along SH 167 toward Agali/Kottathara for ~13 km (cross the river bridge into Kerala).
- 2At Kottathara Junction, take the right/interior road heading northwest.
- 3Follow the local paved road for ~5 km straight to Kaanagam coordinates (11°09′40.3″N 76°39′32.9″E).
Essential Tips
- Offline Maps: Save Google Maps offline before leaving Anaikatti, as signal drops in the forest belt.
- Cash & Fuel: Top up in Anaikatti; UPI/online payments will fail without mobile internet.