Sitting on a thick, low parapet shaded by canopies of trees, we struck a conversation with the temple’s caretaker, “A grandmother told us a story she heard from her parents. Prior to her birth, a young girl in her early 20s passed away after jumping into a well. She followed sati dharam (widow sacrifice). That’s how this place came to be called Satibaug.” The amused caretaker responded with a smile, “Adivasis have told me another story. Earlier they used to sacrifice goats in the temple and then eat them ... Around 100 years back ... Maybe 80-90 ... Umm, you could say 150 years ... They used to get tired with the wood cutting work. So they prayed to the deity asking for shakti (strength). The deity answered their prayers. So they started calling it Shakti Mata Mandir. Over time, it changed to Sati Mata Mandir. That’s how this place got its name.” The artist, listening intently, intervened, “This is what I think. We adivasis understand the meaning of sati as swarg (heaven). ‘Sati gati laagna’ (Receiving momentum to reach heaven) means ‘swargat parat janyacha marg’ (Finding a way to reach back to it). ‘Sati gati lagli ka’ (When a body has passed on to heaven) ... ‘Mag agni de tyla’ (Then offer it to the burning pyre). ‘Sati—swarg,’ this place. So the name.” In 1950, Krishnagiri National Park’s core area was around 20 sq. km. In 1981, it was renamed as the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Renaming this expanded area of 100 sq. km. eviscerated histories of many localities.
