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Sacred groves of India
India has a long tradition of
prudent use and wise conservation of all resources that are useful to people. Forests have
been the lifelines for forest-dwelling communities since ancient times. One method for
conservation of this green resource was the creation of sacred groves, usually dedicated
to a local deity. A traditional means of biodiversity conservation, these groves can be
considered the ancient equivalent of natural sanctuaries where all forms of living
creatures are given protection by a deity. No one is permitted to cut any tree or plant,
kill animals and birds, or harm any form of life in this area. Ancient Indian texts have
many references to sacred groves, for example, Kalidaasas Vikramorvawsiyam.
Today, there are only about 1000 square kilometres of undisturbed sacred groves, scattered in patches all over the country. Only the groves in the remote and inaccessible areas remain untouched. While religious taboo protected the groves near towns earlier, today they are protected with the means of barbed wire fencing or hedges. The decline of sacred groves can be attributed to the change in social values and religious beliefs as a result of modernization and urbanization. The expansion of the market economy, which places heavy demand on resources such as timber, is another major cause. For most villagers, economics is easier to understand than ecology. Sacred groves vary in size from a few trees to dense forests covering vast tracts of land. These groves are important today as they are banks of genetic and plant diversity that have to be preserved and sustained. These areas often contain species that have disappeared from the regions outside the grove. The extant groves are proof that the forests exist not only because there are regulations but also because there are traditions.
Sacred groves exist in other parts of the world too. In The Golden Bough, author James Frazer says that people have worshipped forests right from the Palaeolithic age, thereby preserving them. In ancient Greece and Rome stone walls usually enclosed these forests. Initially these forests began as open-air temples but even after huge temples were built they continued to be protected. Many of them contained streams and lakes that were also considered sacred, and no one was allowed to fish in them or pollute them. Such groves exist in countries such as Ghana, Syria, and Turkey. The survival of these groves depends entirely on the control of the community over the forest and the people. Usually these areas are designated as holy and dedicated to a god or a goddess.
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