87501 87501 or 011-47532596 Register Login

Arrange a Callback
Answer Key of Class Test

Home Geography Of India And The World Hits: 4043

Sacred Groves
Feb 14, 2014

AdChoices Exam of IAS Air Exam Exam Exam India IAS

Sacred groves comprise of patches of forests or natural vegetation from a few trees to forests of several acres that are usually
dedicated to local folk deities or tree spirits (Vanadevatais). These spaces are protected by local communities because of their
religious beliefs and traditional rituals that run through several generations.

Ecological Significance
Conservation of Biodiversity The sacred groves are important repositories of floral and faunal diversity that have been
conserved by local communities in a sustainable manner. They are often the last refuge of endemic species in the geographical
region.

Recharge of aquifers The groves are often associated with ponds, streams or springs, which help meet the water
requirements of the local people. The vegetative cover also helps in the recharging the aquifers.

Soil conservation - The vegetation cover of the sacred groves improves the soil stability of the area and also prevents soil
erosion.

The degree of sanctity of the sacred forests varies from one grove to another. In some forests even the dry foliage and fallen fruits
are not touched. People believe that any kind of disturbance will offend the local deity, causing diseases, natural calamities or failure
of crops. For example, the Garo and the Khasi tribes of northeastern India completely prohibit any human interference in the sacred
groves. In other groves, deadwood or dried leaves may be picked up, but the alive tree or its branches are never cut. For example, the
Gonds of central India prohibit the cutting of a tree but allow fallen parts to be used.

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 scrub forests in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan maintained by the Bishnois, to rain forests in the
Western Ghats of Kerala. Himachal Pradesh in the north and Kerala in the south are specifically known for their large numbers of sacred
groves. The Kodavas of Karnataka alone maintained over 1000 sacred groves in their region.

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. Invasion by exotic weeds such as Eupatorium odoratum,
Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora is a serious threat to some groves.

converted by W eb2PDFConvert.com
0 Comments Drishti IAS
1 Login

Recommend Share Sort by Best

Start the discussion

ALSO ON DRISHTI IAS

Udaisagar-Lake-will-be-First-Wetland-in-Rajasthan International-Wetlands-Day
1 comment a month ago 1 comment 2 months ago
Dc I think sambhar lake is already a wetland...its a RAMSAR sejjul vinzuda Thank u sir.
site also. so how UDAI SAGAR LAKE can be the first???
csat question-2016-03-03 Establishment of Atal Innovation Mission
1 comment 19 days ago 2 comments 14 days ago
Santosh Kumar B is correct Answer Lucky earlier i had the one but now i m not able to find the
option for the rss feeds on the current affairs page.

Subscribe d Add Disqus to your site Privacy

Zip Code Get a Quote

Geography-of-India-and-The-World
Changes in Arctic ice and Indian Monsoon

How a warm Pacific has lessened the impact of winter in India

Earthquakes Vulnerability of India

Medical & Wellness Tourism

Census 2011 and some key characteristics of the population

Steps Taken by The Central Government for Relief to Farmers in view of Deficit Monsoon

LANDFORMS

INDIAN OCEAN DIOPLE

Arabian Sea: why more cyclones in some years

Population Pyramid

converted by W eb2PDFConvert.com
 METHANE HYDRATE

SMOG

EARTHQUAKES

Condensation and it various forms

Ocean Currents of The word and their effect on Weather

CLIMATOLOGY-PART 4

ROCKS

CLIMATOLOGY-PART 3

Ocean Relief

Hot Springs and Geysers

More

Home | About Us | Batches | Online IAS Test Series | Terms & Conditions | Refund & Cancellation | Privacy Policy
| Contact Us

NEW S AND CATEGORY ARTICLES AND CATEGORY GET IN TOUCH

UPSC SYLLABUS C IVIL SERVIC ES MAIN EXAM GENERAL KNOWLEDGE Drishti The Vision Foundation
PC S SYLLABUS PATTERN HISTORY, ART AND C ULTURE 641, Ist Floor, Mukherjee Nagar
UPSC PREVIOUS YEAR C IVIL SERVIC ES PRELIMS EXAM EC OLOGY, ENVIRONMENT & DISASTER Delhi-110009
PAPER PATTERN MANAGEMENT Ph-: 011-47532596
PC S PREVIOUS YEAR UPSC ELIGIBILITY C RITERIA POLITY AND GOVERNANC E Mob-: +91 8130392354-56-57-
PAPER NC RET BOOK FREE DOWNLOAD GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA AND THE WORLD 58-60
UPSC C URRENT AFFAIRS Hindi Literature (Mains) SC IENC E AND TEC HNOLOGY
IAS PLANNER NEW SLETTER
WELFARE SC HEMES AND POLIC IES IN INDIA
EDITORIALS DAILY BILLS AND AC TS IN INDIA youremail@mail.com
C URRENT AND NATIONAL ISSUUES To Subscibe Newsletter and
EC ONOMY AND EC ONIMIC DEVELOPMENT Get Drishti The Vision Updates.
INTERNATIONAL RELATION
SUBSCRIBE
SOC IAL ISSUES AND SOC IAL JUSTIC E
INTERNAL SEC URITY

Drishti IAS Prelims Test Series 2016 Enroll Now

converted by W eb2PDFConvert.com