Castes and Tribes of Southern India/Rāvi Chettu
Rāvi Chettu (pīpal tree: Ficus religiosa). — An exogamous sept of Kālingi. The pīpal or aswatha tree may be seen, in many South Indian villages, with a raised platform round it, before which Hindus remove their shoes, and bow down. On the platform, village council meetings are often held. It is believed that male offspring will be given to childless couples, if they celebrate a marriage of the pīpal with the nīm tree (Melia Azadirachta).