Sacred groves of India
Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported across India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, and more often rare flora, amid rural and even urban settings. Experts believe that the total number of sacred groves could be as high as 100,000. Threats to the groves include urbanization, and
Indian sacred groves are often associated with
Uses of sacred groves
Traditional uses
One of the most important traditional uses of sacred groves was that it acted as a repository for various
Modern uses
In modern times, sacred groves have become biodiversity hotspots, as various species seek refuge in the areas due to progressive habitat destruction and hunting elsewhere. Sacred groves often contain plant and animal species that have become extinct in neighboring areas. They therefore harbor great genetic diversity. Besides this, sacred groves in urban landscapes act as "lungs" to the city as well, providing much needed vegetation cover.
Religious beliefs and practices
Typically, sacred groves in Indian-origin religions are associated with the concept of a presiding deity. Often these sacred deities are numerous nature spirits and guardians associated with Hindu, Jain and Buddhist deities, such as nature spirits known as Yakshas (numerous nature spirits), Nāgas (serpent guardians) and guardian tutelary deities (like ayyanar and amman) are also known. There are over 1000 deities associated with sacred groves in the states of Kerala and Karnataka alone. A large number of distinct local art forms and folk traditions are associated with the deities of sacred groves, and are an important cultural aspect closely associated with sacred traditions. Ritualistic dances and dramatizations based on the local deities that protect the groves are called Theyyam in Kerala and Nagmandalam, among other names, in Karnataka. Often, elaborate rituals and traditions are associated with sacred groves,[6] as are associated folk tales and folk mythology.
Types of sacred forests
The Hindu tradition considers forests to be of three types - Tapovan, Mahavan and Sreevan. Tapovan are forests associated with penance (Tapas), and are inhabited by saints and rishis. Mahavan refers to the grand natural forests. Tapovan and Mahavan are considered to be a Raksha ("sanctuary") for flora and fauna as ordinary human beings are not allowed to enter these forests. Sreevan, which means, "forests of the goddess of prosperity", consists of dense forests and groves. From the former, people would collect dry wood, leaves, forest produce and a limited amount of timber, though natural ecosystem would not be unnecessarily disturbed. Groves were considered as spaces of forests from where harvesting could be done. Sometimes, specific trees like mango trees could be planted and nurtured here. Groves were associated with religious rites, festivals and recreation. Typical recreational activities associated with these groves included jhoola/ jhoolan.[7] In the villages, Panchavati, or a cluster of five trees that represented the forests, were maintained. These trees represented the five elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space.[7]
Religious merits of planting and nurturing forests
Planting and nurturing of trees had been a highly evolved practice in ancient India.[8] Vrukshayurveda, the science of plant life and also a 10th-century treatise of that title on the subject ascribed to Surapala, dealt with various species of trees and their growth. Verses 9-23 from this text indicate how mystical beliefs and conservation of ecology was inter-connected.
- A person is honored in tulasiis grown.
- And if one properly grows Lord Siva, in their family, the goddess of riches resides permanently passes on to the sons and grandsons
- One who plants even a single asvattha, wherever it may be, as per the prescribed mode, goes to the abode of Hari.
- One who has planted dhatri has performed several sacrifices. They has donated the earth. They would be considered a liberated soul forever.
- One who plants a couple of banyan trees as per the prescribed mode would go to the abode of Siva.
- After planting neem trees a person well-versed in dharmaattains the abode of Sun. Indeed! One resides there for a long period.
- By planting four plaksa trees a person doubtlessly obtains the fruits of Rajasuyasacrifice.
- One who plants five or six mango trees attains the abode of Garuda and lives happily forever like gods.
- One should plant seven palasa trees or even one. One attains the abode of Brahma and enjoys the company of gods by doing so.
- One who personally plants eight udumbaratrees or even prompts someone to plant them, rejoices in the lunar world
- One who has planted madhuka has propitiated Parvati, has become free from diseases, and has worshipped all deities.
- If one plants ksirini, dadimi, rambha, priyala, and panasa, one experiences no affliction for seven births.
- One who has knowingly or unknowingly planted ambu is respected as a recluse even while staying in the house.
- By planting all kinds of other trees, useful for fruits and flowers, a person gets a reward of thousand cows adorned with jewels.
- By planting one asvattha, one picumanda, one
Locations of sacred groves
Distribution of sacred groves in India
Sacred groves are scattered all over the country, and are referred to by different names in different parts of India. Sacred groves occur in a variety of places – from
It is estimated that around 1000 km2 of unexploited land is inside sacred groves. Some of the more famous groves are the kavus of Kerala, which are located in the Western Ghats and have enormous biodiversity; and the law kyntangs of Meghalaya – sacred groves associated with every village (two large groves being in Mawphlang[13] and Mausmai) to appease the forest spirit.
Summary of number of sacred groves by states in India
Among the largest sacred groves of India are the ones in Hariyali, near
All numbers are quoted from the records of the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre of the Government of India. Starred numbers are likely to increase. The centre also maintains a complete list of identified sacred groves in India, most of which is online.[15]
State | No of groves | Local name | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andhra Pradesh | 691 | Pavitraskhetralu | Kailash C. Malhotra et al.[16] | |
Arunachal Pradesh | 65 | Gumpa forests (since attached to monasteries) |
Dudley et al.[17] | |
Assam | 40 | Than, Madaico | ||
Chhattisgarh | 600* | Sarna, Devlas, Mandar, Budhadev |
||
Goa | NA* | SERBC document [18] | ||
Gujarat | 42* | [19] | ||
Haryana | 248 | Beed or Bid (बीड़), Bani (बणी), Bann (बण), Janglat (जंगलात), Shamlat (शामलात) | ||
Himachal Pradesh | 329 | Dev Kothi, Devban, Bakhu Devban | [20] | |
Jharkhand | 21* | Sarna
more than 500 " Jaherthan" in Godda of Jharkhand |
Marine Carrin [21] | |
Karnataka | 1424 | Devarakadu, Devkad |
Gadgil et al.[22] | |
Kerala | 2000 | Kavu, Sarpa Kavu | M. Jayarajan [23] | |
Maharashtra | 2820 | Deorai/Devrai ( Ratnagiri ,districts) |
Waghchaure et al.[24] Envis[25] | |
Manipur | 365 | Umang Lai, Gamkhap, Mauhak (sacred bamboo reserves) |
Khumbongmayum et al.[26] | |
Meghalaya | 79 | Law Kyntang, Law Lyngdoh |
Upadhyay et al.[27] | |
Orissa
|
322* | Jahera, Thakuramma | ||
Puducherry | 108 | Kovil Kadu | Ramanujam et al.[28] | |
Rajasthan | 9* | Oran (), Jogmaya | ||
Sikkim | 56 | Gumpa forests (since attached to monasteries) |
S. S. Dash [29] Dudley et al.[17] | |
Tamil Nadu | 1400 | Kovil Kadu | Eliza Kent [30]
TNBB Document [31] |
|
Telangana | 65 | Kailash C. Malhotra et al.[16] | ||
Uttarakhand | 18* | Devbhumi, Baun, Bugyal (sacred alpine meadows) |
Anthwal et al.[32] | |
West Bengal | 670* | Garamthan, Harithan, Jahera, Sabitrithan, Santalburithan |
R. K. Bhakat [33] |
Select examples of sacred groves
- Sarpa Kavu: A Sarpakkavu or Snake Grove is a kind of holy grove found in Kerala. Kavu is the traditional name given for Sacred groves across the Malabar Coast in Kerala, South India.[34] Kavus are notable for Theyyam, the centuries-old ritual dance.
- sacred grovesacross the country.
Threats
Threats to the grove include
.See also
- India related
- Bodhi Tree
- Environment of India
- List of Banyan trees in India
- Sacred related
- Sacred groves
- Sacred mountains
- Sacred natural site
- Sacred rivers
- Sacred site
- Sacred trees
- Tree hugger (disambiguation)
- Tree worship
- General
References
- ^ Gadgil, M. and Vartak, V.D. ; Sacred groves of India : A plea for continued conservation Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 72 : 314-320, 1975
- ^ "Community Forest Management and Joint Forest Management; An Ecological, Economic and Institutional Assessment in Western Ghats, India" (PDF). 2007-06-10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-10. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ Malhotra, K. C., Ghokhale, Y., Chatterjee, S. and Srivastava, S., Cultural and Ecological Dimensions of Sacred Groves in India, INSA, New Delhi, 2001
- ^ ISBN 978-0520222359)
- ISBN 978-81-87032-78-6.
- ^ Chris A. Gregory, The Oral Epics of the Women of the Dandakaranya Plateau: A Preliminary Mapping, J. Soc. Sci., 8(2): 93-104 (2004)
- ^ a b Ranchor Prime, Vedic Ecology: Practical Wisdom for Surviving the 21st Century, Mandala Publishing, Novato, CA, 2002
- ^ a b Vrukshayurveda, authored by Surapala, translated by Nalini Sadhale, Agri-History Bulletin No.1, Asian Agri-History Foundation, Secunderabad
- ^ A series Archived 2007-02-03 at the Wayback Machine of articles in the journal Down to Earth on sacred groves
- ^ "Sacred Forestry".
- ^ "News". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- ^ Malhotra, K. C., Ghokhale, Y., Chatterjee, S. and Srivastava, S., Cultural and Ecological Dimensions of Sacred Groves in India, INSA, New Delhi, 2001
- ^ Eco Destination . Mawphlang Sacred Forest
- ^ Pandey, Abhimanyu; Kotru, Rajan; Pradhan, Nawraj (2016). "A Framework for the Assessment of Cultural Ecosystem Services of Sacred Natural Sites in the Hindu Kush Himalayas; Based on fieldwork in the Kailash Sacred Landscape regions of India and Nepal - ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/8 | HimalDoc". lib.icimod.org. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- ^ Database at the CPR Environmental Education Centre
- ^ a b Kailash C. Malhotra, Yogesh Gokhale, Sudipto Chatterjee, and Sanjeev Srivastava (2001). Cultural and Ecological Dimensions of Sacred Groves in India. Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, and Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b
Ed. N. Dudley, L. Higgins-Zogib, and S. Mansourian;
The Arguments for Protection Series - Beyond Belief: Linking faiths and protected areas to support biodiversity conservation, pp. 91-95; World Wide Fund for Nature, 2005 (ISBN 2-88085-270-6)
- ^ Website of the Sacred Grove Restoration Project, Society for Ecological Restoration
- ^ "Sacred Groves in Gujarat". C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre, Chennai.
- ^ http://www.cpreecenvis.nic.in/Database/HimachalPradesh_2228.aspx [dead link]
- ^ Marine Carrin, Santal autonomy as a social ecology[permanent dead link], 16th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, Edinburgh, 2000
- ^ "Sacred Groves and Sacred Trees of Uttara Kannada". 2017-03-31. Archived from the original on 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ M. Jayarajan, Sacred Groves of North Malabar Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, Kerala Research Programme on Local Level Development, Centre for Development
Studies, Thiruvananthapuram (ISBN 81-87621-95-8)
- ^ Waghchaure, Chandrakant K.; Tetali, Pundarikakshudu; Gunale, Venkat R.; Antia, Noshir H.; Birdi, Tannaz J., Sacred Groves of Parinche Valley of Pune District of Maharashtra, India and their Importance[permanent dead link], Anthropology & Medicine, Volume 13, Number 1, April 2006, pp. 55-76(22)
- ^ C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre, Chennai. "Sacred Groves - Maharashtra". www.cpreecenvis.nic.in. Govt. of India. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ Khumbongmayum, M.D., Khan, M.L., and Tripath, R.S, Sacred groves of Manipur – ideal centres for biodiversity conservation, Current Science, Vol 87, No 4, 25 Aug 2004
- ^ Upadhaya, K.; Pandey, H.N. 2; Law, P.S.; Tripathi, R.S; Tree diversity in sacred groves of the Jaintia hills in Meghalaya, northeast India, Biodiversity and Conservation, Volume 12, Number 3, March 2003, pp. 583-597(15)
- ^ M.P. Ramanujam and K. Praveen Kumar Cyril, Woody species diversity of four sacred groves in the Pondicherry region of South India, Biomedical and Life Sciences and Earth and Environmental Science, Volume 12, Number 2 / February, 2003, Springer Netherlands
- ^ S. S. Dash, Kabi sacred grove of North Sikkim Current Science, Vol 89, No 3, 10 Aug 2005
- ^ Kent, E. (2009). Sacred Groves and Local Gods: Religion and Environmentalism in South India. *Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 13*(1), 1-29. Link
- ^ TNBB Document. Link. Accessed on December 16, 2023 (Archived on December 16, 2023)
- ^ Ashish Anthwal, Ramesh C. Sharma, and Archana Sharma, Sacred Groves: Traditional Way of Conserving Plant Diversity in Garhwal Himalaya, Uttaranchal Archived 2007-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, The Journal of American Science, 2(2), 2006, Anthwal et al., Sacred Groves: Conserving Plant Diversity
- ^ Ram Kumar Bhakat, Socio-religious and ecological perspective of a sacred grove from Midnapore district, West Bengal, Science and Culture (Sci. Cult.), 2003, vol. 69, no 11-12, pp. 371-374
- ISBN 81-87621-95-8)
- ^ http://www.cpreecenvis.nic.in/Database/Manipur_890.aspx [dead link]
- ^ "Sacred Groves of Manipur, Northeast India: Biodiversity Value, Status and Strategies for Their Conservation | Ostrom Workshop". Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ Milaap (22 May 2017). "Lai Haraoba – Connecting Manipur's Mythology and Its Martial Art". www.thebetterindia.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
Further reading
- M. D. Subash Chandran. "Twenty-two". Shifting Cultivation, Sacred Groves and Conflicts in Colonial Forest Policy in the Western Ghats (PDF).
- "CULTURAL AND ECOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF SACRED GROVES IN INDIA] By Kailash C. Malhotra, Yogesh Gokhale, Sudipto Chatterjee, Sanjeev Srivastava" (PDF). Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi & Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal. Indian National Science Academy, Bhopal. Printed at : Nirmal Vijay Printer, New Delhi. June 2001.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - Kailash C. Malhotra, Yogesh Gokhale, Ketaki Das. "SACRED GROVES OF INDIA : AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY]" (PDF). INDIAN NATIONAL SCIENCE ACADEMY AND DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE; © Development Alliance, New Delhi (www.dev-alliance.com); August, 2001.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "SACRED GROVES SOURCES; ENVIS; C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre is a Centre of Excellence of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India".
- "ENVIS Centre on Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sights of India]; ENVIS; C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre is a Centre of Excellence of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India".