SACRED GROVES

Since time immemorial, conservation of natural resource has been an integral part of
diverse cultures in different ways. The traditional worship practices show the symbiotic relation
of human beings and nature. Indigenous communities all over the world lived in harmony with the
nature and conserved its valuable biodiversity.
In course of time, science and technology developed and industries were established and
expanded to meet the increasing demands of the people. Various anthropogenic activities have
altered the structure and function of different ecosystems all over the world. One of the most
conspicuous effects of ecosystem perturbation has been the depletion of biodiversity.
Disappearance of species due to habitat alteration, overexploitation, pollution, global climate
change and invasion of exotic species is so fast that many valuable taxa may vanish even before
they are identified and their scientific value is discovered.
In view of the adverse effects of biodiversity degradation, ecologists, environmentalists
and conservationists has made conservation of biodiversity as an issue of global, national and
regional significance. Many areas have been declared as protected areas and various in situ and ex
situ conservation practices have also been undertaken in different parts of the world. Many laws
governing the biodiversity conservation have also been enacted from time to time including “The
Biological Diversity Act 2002” enacted by the Govt. of India.
Besides these formal laws, there are many traditional conservation practices of indigenous
communities in many parts of the world, which contributed to the conservation and protection of
biodiversity. A good example of such traditional practices is the conservation and protection of
small forest patches by dedicating them to the local deities by various indigenous communities of
the world. Such forest patches are called “sacred groves”. Sacred groves are the tracts of virgin
forest that were left untouched by the local inhabitants, harbor rich biodiversity, and are protected
by the local people due to their cultural and religious beliefs and taboos that the deities reside in
them. It is believed that these sacred virgin forests date back to thousands of years when human
society was in the primitive state. Sacred groves can be traced back to the pre- agricultural, hunting
and gathering stage of societies. The area of sacred groves ranges from few square meters to
several hectares. Physically, it is a piece of forest land, but culturally, it is associated with deities,
rituals and taboos. Sacred groves provide the inextricable link between present society to the past
in terms of biodiversity, culture, religious and ethnic heritage.
Various traditional communities of our country follow nature worship in their own ethnic
ways, based on the premise that all creations of nature have to be protected. The concept of sacred
groves could be traced to such communities as have preserved several virgin forests in their pristine
form by dedicating them to the ancestral spirits or deities. As a result, sacred groves still possess a
great heritage of diverse gene pool of many forest species. Some of the species present in sacred
groves are considered as sacred. These ‘sacred’ species have socioreligious concept of the sacred
groves intertwined carefully with various socio-cultural and religious beliefs, and taboos, and
ecological services of sacred groves. People’s changing attitudes, erosion of traditional beliefs,
and human impact have caused degradation of sacred groves over the years. Various traditional

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approaches to the conservation of nature require a belief system which includes a number of
prescriptions and proscriptions for restrained resource use.
All forms of vegetation in the groves are supposed to be under the protection of reigning
deity of that grove, and the removal of even a small twig is a taboo. Collection and removal of any
material from the sacred groves is prohibited. Sacred groves can be used as indicators for potential
natural vegetation and are vital for wellbeing of the society. Sacred groves or sacred trees serve as
a home for birds and mammals, and hence, they indirectly help in the conservation of living
organisms.
Besides, the sacred groves provide a number of ecosystem services such as reduction in
erosive force of water, conservation of soil, maintenance of hydrological cycle, availability of
water of desired quality and natural dispersal of seeds of useful species. The sacred groves also
help in maintaining the desirable health of ecosystem, reduce habitat destruction, conserve the
viable population of pollinators and predators, serve as the potential source of propagules that are
required for colonization of wastelands and fallows, conserve the indigenous flora and fauna and
preserve the cultural and ethical practices developed through indigenous knowledge of
generations. Thus, traditional nature worship practices as followed in different parts of world do
contribute to the promotion of the regional/national goals of conservation of biodiversity.
It is believed that the sacred groves originated after the introduction of the practice of
agriculture and are found in almost all parts of India. They can be described as a mini-ecosystem
containing a rich repository of nature’s unique biodiversity. They are also a product of the socio-
ecological philosophy of our ancestors. The ancient religious beliefs and traditions which have
been handed down through thousands of generations have played a unique role in the preservation
of these mini-ecosystems.
Types of sacred groves
Sacred groves may be classified into four categories as mentioned below:
o Local village sacred groves, which are managed by the entire village, although the village
may be composed of several tribal communities and ethnic groups.
o Regional sacred groves, which are managed by a temple trust, and which are visited by
people from several districts (e.g. Sabarimala sacred grove, Pathanamthitta district,
Kerala).
o Pan-Indian sacred groves, which are large and are managed by a temple trust, where
people from many parts of the country visit and worship the deity, (e.g. Garhwal
Himalayas).
o Sacred groves as the abode of ancestral spirits, which are both a burial ground and
location of deity and ancestor worship.
Sacred Groves in India
Setting aside patches of forest land and leaving them intact on the grounds of religious belief
of the traditional communities has been the practice for centuries in our country. Indian society
comprises several cultures, each with its own set of traditional methods of conserving nature and

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its creatures. Sacred groves are found all over India especially in those regions where indigenous
communities inhabit.
Most of the sacred groves reported from India are in the Western Ghats, North Eastern India
and Central India.
Sacred groves in Kerala
The sacred groves in Kerala are locally known as Ayyappan kavu or Sastham kavu, Bhagavathi
kavu or Amman kavu, Vanadevatha and Cheema or Cheerumba depending upon the ownership
and the deities to whom these groves are dedicated. A total of 644 sacred groves have been
documented so far in Kerala. Sastha, Bhagavathi, Sarpa kavu, Amman, Kamaljai, Mariai, Bhavani,
Bhagvati and Tathawade are the deities to whom these groves are dedicated. The following species
are commonly found in the sacred groves - White dammar, Night-flowering jasmine, black varnish
tree, Niepa bark tree, Santa Maria tree, Ceylon Ironwood and Tamarind etc. Serpent worship is an
important feature of the sacred groves in the State. A new species of a leguminous climber
Kunstleria keralensis, has been reported from one of the sacred groves of Kerala.
Sacred Groves: Ideal Centers for Biodiversity Conservation
The importance of sacred groves in the conservation of biological diversity has been well
recognized. A grove in the Koloba district of Maharashtra harbouring a solitary specimen of the
liana Entada phaseoloides. A new species of a leguminous climber Kunstleria keralensis, has been
reported from one of the sacred groves of Kerala. Ficus benghalensis L. (Aal) in sacred groves at
Suriampettai plays the role of a keystone species providing a niche for the large number of birds
and plants. There is a concentration of rare, endemic and endangered species in sacred groves. A
study recorded 73 species in three sacred groves of Kerala, and among them 13 are endemic to
south Western Ghats, 3 are endemic to Western Ghats and 1 is endemic to peninsular India. About
4% of the total plant species found in Meghalaya are confined to sacred groves. A small population
of endangered primates, and lion-tailed macaques lives in and around Katlekan sacred grove of
Uttara Kannada. Several trees having non-timber uses and macro-fungi useful to the local people,
as well as those with medicinal properties were abundant in sacred groves of Western Ghats.
Threatened trees were more abundant in sacred groves than in reserve forest.
Religious and cultural importance of the species is a factor promoting their sustainable
utilization as well as conservation. Such sociologically recognized plants are the ‘sacred species.
E.g., Ficus of fig family (Moraceae), Ficus religiosa and Ocimum sanctum are regarded as sacred
by the Hindus.
Ecological Services of Sacred Groves
Biodiversity keeps the ecological processes in a balanced state, which is necessary for human
survival. Therefore, the biodiversity-rich sacred groves are of immense ecological significance.
They also play an important role in the conservation of flora and fauna. Besides, several rare and
threatened species are found only in sacred groves, which are, perhaps, the last refuge for these
vulnerable species.
The vegetation of the sacred groves has certain distinctive ecological characteristics. The
sacred groves of Kerala have distinct tiers of trees, shrubs and herbs, climbers and stranglers,

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epiphytes, parasites, and many wild relatives of cultivated plants. Broadly, the vegetation of these
groves has been classified into two types viz. evergreen type and the moist deciduous type. The
biological spectrum of the groves is similar to the normal spectrum of phanerogamic flora of the
world. This indicates that the vegetation is a relic of the tropical evergreen forests. There is
greater species diversity in sacred groves than in the disturbed forest. Species composition and
community characteristics of sacred groves and disturbed forests were also reported to differ
significantly. Fragment sizes and diversity of species assemblages in Sholas and sacred groves
showed that larger fragments had similar species composition whereas smaller fragments of forest
are more diverse among themselves with respect to their species content. Tree species diversity
was greater in larger fragments. However, the percentage of new species found regenerating in the
small fragments is much larger compared to the large fragments where only three new species
showed regeneration. The forest fragment size decreased with increase in anthropogenic
disturbance.
Ethnobotanical Importance of the Sacred Groves
Sacred groves are the good source of a variety of medicinal plants, fruits, fodder, fuelwood,
spices, etc. The study of interrelationship between the human beings and plants and animals in
their surrounding environment is called ethnobiology. Various medicinal plant species are used by
the different ethnic groups for various purposes including the treatment of common diseases and
disorders.
Degradation of the Sacred Groves
Belief and taboos are the constructive tools for conserving the sacred groves, and erosion of
belief and taboos has led to deterioration of groves.
Various anthropogenic pressures due to developmental activities, urbanization, exploitation of
resources and increase in human population have threatened many sacred groves of the country.
For instance, introduction of exotic species and concern for more income generation, uncontrolled
grazing, conversion of sacred groves into coffee plantations and human habitation. Economic
forces are influencing the traditional communities to discard the community-oriented protection to
these groves and they are now being exploited.
It has been found that cultural changes among the young people are so rapid that they no
longer believe in the methods their ancestors followed to maintain the fragile ecosystem. This is a
global tragedy, because ‘with the disappearance of each indigenous group, the world loses an
accumulated wealth of millennia of human experience and adaptation’. For ecologists, traditional
ecological knowledge offers a means to improve research and also to improve resource
management and environment impact assessment. One unfortunate matter that hinders the
conservation of sacred grove is that the village people living nearby the sacred groves are poor and
so they depend on the grove to meet their vital domestic necessities, such as fuel wood, vegetables,
medicinal plants etc. The rural poor depend upon biological resources for meeting 90% of their
day-to-day needs. So, until and unless viable option is provided to these people for sustaining their
economic condition, any step for the conservation of the sacred groves will not be successful.