Relevance Of Sacred Groves In Kerala Urbanscape / Chapter 2: General Idea On Sacred Groves

2.0 GENERAL IDEA ON SACRED GROVES

2.1 What are Sacred Groves?

Number of communities practice different forms of nature worship in different
parts of the world. One such significant tradition of nature worship is that of providing
protection to patches of forests dedicated to deities or ancestral spirits.These vegetation
patches have been designated as Sacred Groves.
These are segments of landscape, containing vegetation and other forms of life
and geographical features that are delimited and protected by human societies under the
belief that to keep them in a relatively undisturbed state is expressive of an important
relationship of humans with the divine or with nature.
Sacred Groves acts as an ideal centre for biodiversity conservation. Several plants
and animals that are threatened in the forest are still well conserved in some of the sacred
groves.However with passage of time,considerable changes have taken place in the extent
of sacred groves,in their vegetation structure, peoples perception towards them and the
religios beliefs & taboos.

In the hilly region of the Western Ghats in South India,the people have preserved
Sacred Groves for almost 3000 years. Their decision to preserve these patches of old
growth evergreen forest is largely because these forests are fundamental to their
livelihood. They prevent soil erosion and species extinction,while also providing an
abundance of resources,including clean water. While sustainability was at the Sacred
Groves origin,religion has been a driving force in its survival. As Hinduism spread
throughout India,the nature gods housed in the Sacred Groves were absorbed into the
Hindu religion as various forms of Shiva,the nature god. While the original Sacred Grove
had no temples because the spirits were thought to reside in the trees,the trees were cut to
build temples as those spirits were adopted into Hinduism. Later,stone temples were
erected and dedicated to a deity who protected the remaining Grove. In many ways,these
temples share the same formal qualities of the preceding grove,but more interestingly,they
share a sustainable quality and stand as prime examples of how a people have lived in
harmony with nature for centuries. By employing the methods of academic literature

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review and field documentation,this research records the history of the Sacred Grove from
its origin,three millennia ago,up to the surviving Groves and temples of today. This time-
tested knowledge of sustainable design is then applied towards the resource scarcity we
face today.

Sacred Groves

The groves were Gods first temples. Ere man learned

To hew the shaft,and lay the architrave

in the darkling wood,

Amidst the cool and silence,he knelt down.

(Bryant,1848) (Sacred Groves Around the Earth)

Fig.2 (a): Values and causes of degradation of Sacred Groves

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Fig.2 (b): Attributes of sacred groves

2.2 Sacred Groves All Over the World

Sacred lands are found everywhere around the world. In all parts of Africa,
various tribes consider different types of groves as sacred. In West Asia, Babylonians and
Assyrians had planted sacred groves. Palm forest with altar has been reported from Arabia.
Sacred Oak grove was present in Asia Minor. Sacred mountains and lakes are present in
Madagascar. Many Siberian people honoured sacred groves. Village groves are present in
Korea. In Japan, Shinto shrines, as a rule, are surrounded by trees. Buddhist temples in
Japan and China have tree-gardens. Traditional Chinese honour sacred mountains with
trees. Buddhist monasteries and temples of Thailand have sacred groves. Indonesia has
monkey-forests. Sacred groves were also present in Greece, Italy, France, Scandinavia,
Sweden, Finland, British Islands, Arctic Russia, New Zealand, and Polynesia. Sacred

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groves are present in Nepal and Sri Lanka. In America, both pre-Columbian people and
the settlers maintained sacred groves.

The protection of Sacred Groves is a part of ancient human culture around the
world and on every continent. In the Mediterranean,the Greek and Roman landscape were
dotted with hundreds of sacred places,often including a grove of trees and a spring of
water. Within these, the environment was preserved in its natural state. As Seneca in the
1st Centry AD remarked if you come upon a grove of old trees that have lifted up their
crowns above the common height and shut out the light of the sky by the darkness of their
interlacing boughs,you feel that there is a spirit in the place, so lofty is the wood, so lone
the spot,so wondrous the thick unbroken shade. In Africa, the Migumu grove is held
sacred. In them, no trees may be cut down ,no branches broken,no firewood gathered,no
grass burnt,nor wild animals killed. In Indonesia, the Banyan tree is considered sacred and
springs are often found under mature trees. The Indonesians believe that spirits reside
within the trees and ensure the availability of clean water. These few examples are few of
the many outdoor sanctuaries considered humanities primal worship space.

2.3 Sacred Groves In India

In India sacred groves are found in a wide range of ecological situations from estuaries to
mountain localities. The important regions with sacred groves in India are the North
Eastern Himalayas (Khasi-Garo hills), Western Ghats, Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan and
Sarguja, Chandes and Bastar area in Central India. But this does not include the coastal
and mid-land regions of Kerala where sacred groves are abundant .
In India,the Sacred Grove,as the indigenous people called it,are pre-vedic in origin,some
claim up to 3500 years old. The Grove definitely came before Guatama Buddha who was
born in a Sacred Grove named Lumbinicana, and who found enlightenment under a Pila
tree. The cultural practice of preserving Sacred Groves is thought to begin with ancient
hunter-gatherer people in Paleolithic times. We know this because of the symbolism
encountered in these worship spaces,which include such wild animals as tigers and
snakes,hunter-gods and goddesses,and weapons such as tridents. For example,in the
Oudala Sacred Grove located just outside of Sirsi,the tiger god,Hulidevary,and energy
goddess,Ashoka Davy,symbolized with a trident in hand,were both worshiped.

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When humans began to settle and agricultural societies formed, Sacred Groves were
already apparent as respected places by hunters and gatherers and were protected from the
slashing and burning used by shifting cultivators. Groves became isolated patches of the
original forest,protecting the ecology within,and were integrated into agricultural culture
with gods and deities that could ensure a good harvest or bring famine if angered. Groves
have since provided the place for ecological protection and religious worship.

2.3.1 Main features

Patches of forests or natural vegetation

Dedicated to local folk deities (Example Ayyanar and Amman) or tree spirits
(Vanadevatais).
Protected by local communities because of their religious beliefs and traditional rituals.

2.3.2 Types of Sacred groves

a) Traditional It is the place where the village deity resides, who is represented by an
elementary symbol
b) Temple Here a grove is created around a temple and conserved.
c) Groves around the burial or cremation grounds.

2.3.3 Distribution of sacred groves in India

In India, the sacred groves are found all over the country and abundantly along the
western ghats in the states of Kerala and Karnataka. Although, there has been no
comprehensive study on the sacred groves of the entire country, approximately 19,000
sacred groves have been documented so far.

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Table.2.A: Sacred Groves in Indian states

2.4 General Attributes Of Sacred Groves

The practice of preserving Sacred Groves evolved over 3 millennia as a way to

circumvent the major problems with tropical agriculture. Sacred Groves in the Western
Ghats play a particularly important role because the tropical rainforest is a notoriously
fragile ecosystem. The rainforest is prone to severe erosion and loss of fertility from the
heavy rains of up to 2350 millimeters in the north and 7450 millimeters in the south,which
can lead to complete habitat destruction and an unsteady supply of water.

Most importantly,the Sacred Grove provides a water source. Whether its a

river,stream,spring,lake,or pond,all Groves contain water. It is as much a characteristic of
the Sacred Grove as a grouping of trees. Further,the Groves supply a year round steady
supply of water because the plant roots and soil hold on to the water during wet periods
and release it slowly during times of drought. Often,the Groves water supply is the only

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source of water for a village,providing fresh water in regions where all other water is
saline.

Originally, almost every village had a Sacred Grove because it provided much
more than than a consistent and safe water supply. The Grove was key in maintaining
equilibrium with the environment. The preserved use of these forests is part of a land use
system that permitted biological resources to be used at a near maximal level, while
keeping the risk of resource extermination low. To this day the people of India continue to
harvest an astonishing diversity of products from the forest and practice the most intensive
yet sustainable form of agriculture humanity has so far.

When resources were extracted from the Grove it was done with extreme caution.
Some practices included using only wooden utensils for taking out bark and hands for
removing leaves,buds and twigs. When removing roots,the community only took old
roots,not mother or tender roots. Bamboo rootlets were only extracted during the month of
Ashada,when they were tender and when removing them sprouts will multiply.

A study of the Sacred Groves by Gadgil and Vartak helped to prove that the Groves
belong to a variety of cultural practices that help Indian Society maintain an ecologically
steady state with wild living resources. This way of living stands in stark contrast to the
common western approach to preserving nature where it is untouched by humans. But
according to Marglin and Mishra,The network of Sacred Groves in such countries as
India has since time immemorial been the locus and symbol of a way of life in which
humans are embedded in nature and in which the highest levels of biological diversity are
found where humans interact with nature.

It is no surprise then,that Sacred Groves have become valuable gene banks for the
restoration of natural ecosystems around them. In one hectare of the Kallabbe Sacred
Grove,83% of the trees are endemic,whereas in the forest surrounding it,only 15% are.[6]
In Groves,there can be up to 400 trees per hectare,while in the surrounding area it is only
40. Up to 50 species of trees can be found in one hectare,while the surrounding area is
significantly lower. The trees themselves rise over 30 meters in height,which in

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combination with their density can lower the temperature within the grove more than 10
degrees.

Spices,which this region is known the world over for,were found within Sacred
Groves,and later cultivated close to them,benefiting from the perennial supply of water
and favorable microclimatic conditions. Medicinal plants and trees also benefit from this
favorable environment. Like all of the resources found in Sacred Groves,communities will
protect these medicinal plants,but also harvest them carefully for use.

With such a supply of resources,it is no wonder these groves are considered

Sacred. As defined by J.D. Hughes and M.D.S Chandran,Sacred Groves are segments of
the landscape,containing trees and other forms of life and geographical features,that are
delimited and protected by human societies because it is believed that to keep them in a
relatively undisturbed state is an expression of important relationship to the divine or to
nature. Due to changes in resource use and religion,such practices of preserving sacred
groves have become largely extinct throughout India and the world,but the Sacred Groves
of the Western Ghats are particularly well preserved;considered the 18th most biodiverse
hot spot on earth. The central part of the Western Ghats in Karnataka have hundreds of
surviving groves and in particular the area around Sirsi has been the focus of this research.

2.4.1 Sacred groves as centres of biodiversity

The prime concern of any society is to ensure constant supply of raw materials and
resources to its members. At present our natural resource base is degrading, depleting or
degenerating due to wanton exploitation. This undermines the very sustenance of the
society.
This generalization is especially true in the case of genetic resources, one of the
most powerful and strategically important raw materials of the present day society. As
biotechnology expands its reach to encompass the domains of agriculture, medicine, and
industrial production, the search for new genetic materials to suit the emerging needs is
intense. Most genetic engineering at present hardly goes beyond discovery and patenting
of the use and the denial of use rights. Need for long-term conservation of raw materials
and the necessity to permit the continuity of organic evolution, which produces that
genetic material, are easily overlooked. This is especially true in the case of tropical

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countries, most of which faced with the choice between short-term economic growth and
long-term resource conservation, are confused. Meanwhile, the situation is getting worse
as traditional institutions of resource conservation disappear due to short-sighted policy
formulations. Passivity stemming from ignorance about biological resources makes the
situation further worse.
Biological diversity or biodiversity, as the term is commonly used, is the sum total
of life forms at all levels of organization in the biological system. The term biodiversity
has been defined by scholars in many ways. One of the internationally accepted definitions
is given by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Biodiversity is the totality of life-forms from where we directly or indirectly draw
ecological, economic, and aesthetic benefits. Biodiversity maintains the dynamics of
ecosystems. The entire biosphere forms a macro ecosystem and biodiversity offers the
buffering capacity and sustainability to life on the planet. Any attempt to list the
ecological, economic, commercial, and aesthetic values of biodiversity would remain
incomplete, as our knowledge of life in toto is also incomplete.
As more and more natural vegetation is lost in the inhabited areas, the remaining
patches of forests in the form of sacred groves come to acquire a crucial role in buffering
biodiversity. Thus sacred groves acquire importance from the point of view of ecology and
conservation of biological diversity.

2.4.2 Sacred groves as biodiversity refugia

The most tangible evidence of the deterioration of biodiversity is seen in the
tropical vegetation. The forests are fast disappearing, threatening the very existence of a
major portion of global biodiversity and also challenging the very process of organic
evolution. The genes are product of millions of years of evolution. We have to currently
look for existing remnants of climax communities (Climax community is the one which
has attained a steady state after a long period of ecological recession. It is a stable biotic
community.) For the sustenance of genetic diversity. In spite of the widespread destruction
of forests, there are still left aside certain natural landscapes in various countries which are
culturally protected as sites of worship by local people. What remains after destruction,
offer refugia for species. Such refugia, even though fragmented, may be maintaining the
minimum viable population of some species and are thus capable of maintaining

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part of the biodiversity. All over the world, in the course of human history, some such
isolated patches of natural vegetation which remain in spite of the wanton destruction of
large stretches of forests have been protected by clothing them with sacredness. At
present, they are known as sacred groves. We are indebted to the cultural practices of our
ancestors for maintaining such refugia.
Cultural practices always have their impact on environment. They determine the
community use (and abuse) of natural resources. They determine who will manage those
resources and how. They modify the fragile ecological balance and diversity of our plant
and animal life, and sometimes destroy it, leading to the loss of biota. Cultures in turn are
shaped by the environment. Climate and natural resources condition the ways of life of a
population influence the nature and scope of its interactions with other human groups and
also inspire its artistic expression. Since the birth of humanity, populations have derived
from nature, aesthetic or spiritual sustenance and used it to creative ends.
The multiple aspects of culture and environment are reflected in activities of a
number of UNESCO programs. Examples include studies within The Man and Biosphere
Program on the role of sacred groves in the conservation of biodiversity and the
rehabilitation of degraded lands, the promotion of ethno botany and the sustainable and
equitable use of plant resources.

2.5 Threats Affecting Sacred Groves

The threats vary from one region to the other and even from one grove to the other. But
the common threats identified are:
Disappearance of the traditional belief systems, which were fundamental to the
concept of sacred groves. These systems and their rituals are now considered
mere superstition.
Sacred groves in many parts of our country have been destroyed due to rapid
urbanization and developmental interventions such as roads, railways tracks,
dams including commercial forestry. Encroachment has led to the shrinkage of
some of the largest groves in the country.

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Many groves are suffering due to Sanskritisation or the transformation of the

primitive forms of nature worship into formal temple worship.
Invasion by exotic weeds such as Eupatorium odoratum, Lantana camara and
Prosopis juliflora is a serious threat to some groves.
Pressures due to increasing livestock and fuelwood collection
Pollution
Impact of Climate Change

2.5.1 Threats to biodiversity

In spite of richness of biodiversity, we have problems of:

Habitat fragmentation,
Over-exploitation of natural resources,
Desertification,
Unplanned change in land-use,
Pollution
Impact of Climate Change
Invasion of exotic species that overpower natives through natural &
anthropogenic induced actions

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