Sacred groves
There are unique forests in India known as sacred groves because there are small shrines or temples inside them honouring local deities. They are pockets of forests where people are forbidden to cut the trees or disturb the animals for fear of angering the resident gods. They can only collect honey, twigs, medicinal herbs and litter. Sacred groves are found in every state though they are known by different names. There are more than 20,000 sacred groves with the most—over 5000—found in Himachal Pradesh. Some are small, occupying a few hectares, while others, like the Hariyali grove in Uttarakhand and the Deodar grove near Shimla, are spread over hundreds of hectares. In Maharashtra, they are called devaraii, in Goa Devachirai in Karnataka, devarakaadu, in Rajasthan, oran, in Himachal, devbhumi, in Kerala, kaavu and in Tamil Nadu, kovil kaadu. The groves are extremely important because they are biodiversity hotspots. Not only do they contain hundreds of rare and valuable plants and trees, some of which are used in traditional medicines, but also different species of insects, birds and mammals. The trees help anchor the fertile top soil and the litter provides valuable humus that local farmers cart away to replenish their fields. Ponds and streams run through these sacred groves, helping to raise the water table.
Sacred groves have reduced in number and size over the years, because unlike olden times, people have lost respect for their sanctity. In some groves, the trees have been cut to increase the space for religious activities—the shrines now attract too many pilgrims. Others have been taken over for cultivation. Unless local people become more involved in protecting and restoring them, sacred groves, and with them a treasure trove of plant life, will soon be gone forever.
Facts:
* Europe used to have sacred groves in prehistoric times. With the rise of Christianity, churches came up where the groves once stood. Now they are mostly found only in Central European countries such as Estonia and Lithuania.
* According to Buddhist scriptures, Queen Mahamaya gave birth to Gautam Buddha in the sacred grove of Lumbini in southern Nepal.
* Many Shinto shrines in Japan are built in the midst of ancient sacred groves.
* The movie Avatar showcased a grove revered by the Na'vi people of Pandora, at the heart of which was the sacred Tree of Souls.
