The Southern Regional Centre of our Council is regularly conducting the Lecture Series programme. Under the Lecture Series Publication, important lectures presented in the programme have been regularly publishing by Southern Regional Centre, Bengaluru. I am happy to present this latest publication entitled "Groves and Gods of Tamilnadu" by Dr. Nanditha Krishna, Dr. Nanditha Krishna served as Member of our Council and presently Director of C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Institute of Indological Research, Chennai. The Lecture was presented as part of Council's Foundation Day lecture held in 2017. The present publication provides various aspects of Sacred Groves and Associated Deities in Tamil Nadu. The sacred groves have connections with indigenous tribal and traditional societies in the South India. The scholar has studied the importance of the sacred groves which are associated with local flora and fauna, forest, reservoirs, lakes, etc. The sacred groves believed to be guarded by folk deities and spirits. The learned scholar has identified various folk deities such as Ayyanar, Kavaldeivam, Sasta, Muniyappa, Ellai, Amman, Pidari, Mari, etc. The study also contains various iconographical features of the folk deities and rituals, etc.

The present title, I am sure, will be welcomed by the world of scholars and lovers of history. I thank Dr. S.K. Aruni, Regional Director of SRC for its publication.