In Indian folklore, there is frequent reference to kadali-vana or the plantain grove where bananas grow. No one knows where this place exists. Some say it exists in the midst of southern forests. Others say it exists in the valleys of the Himalayas. And then there are those who say it exists in the imagination of poets and sages. Why is it so important? Because it refers to a land exclusive to women, a land which no man can enter.

Illustration/ Devdutt pattanaik