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ESSENC
CE - Interna
ational Jourrnal for Envvironmentaal Rehabilitaation and Conservation
n
Volume V: No. 2 2014 [6
65 – 70] [ISS
SN 0975 - 62722]
[ww
ww.essence-jouurnal.com]

Proceedings of
o National Coonference
“Environmental Conserrvation and Cllean India Proogramme” Deccember 2014, India
I

Impactt of religious and culltural actiivities on the

t environment and
d conservaation
of biodiiversity

S.K. Mahhajan

Received: October 01, 2014 ⏐ Acceepted: Decem

mber 18, 20144 ⏐ Online: December
D 31, 2014

Abstractt
The pressent paper deals with the impact of
religious and cultural activities on
o environment
and biodiversity co onservation.. During this
t a ricch biodiverssity. Actuallyy biodiversity is the
survey itt was reveaaled that 744 plant speccies
belonging to 71 genera and 37 families are
used by the devoteess of various religions. Out
O livinng organism ms. It is thhe global asset
of these, 4, 76, 2, 11 and 5 plaant species are
used by Christians, Hindus, Jaains , Musliims
and Sikhs respectivelly.
Keywordds: Religiou
us plants | Vegetables
Fruits
For correespondence:
Professor of Botany, Govt. P. G. Colleege, Khargone,
M.P. Indiaa
Email: shhrikrishna.mahaajan@gmail.coom
Intrroduction
Indiia by virtuee of its exteensive geoggraphical
stretch and variied terrain and
a climate supports
s
absttract for biological
b diversity used
u to
desccribe the vaariety and vaariability ammong the
a of
tremmendous vaalue to prresent and future
gennerations. However, the decliine of
bioddiversity at an alarmingg rate due too human
| inteervention hass lately beenn posing great threat
to itts ability. Our Nation is a rich vaavilovian
centtre of diverrsity. It is a country whhich has
morre than 7000 years continuous
c cultural
histtory and a very longg knowledgge base.
Culltural diverssity coupledd with bioddiversity
enriiches resource utilizzation. Wiith the
channging socio--economic pattern
p of thee people
the resource uttilization paattern also changes.
c
Loccal people are dependdent on thee forest
resoources.

65
 Vol. V [2] 20144 /65 – 70 
Mahajan /V

ICUN annd WWF hav ve recognizeed priority key

k variious other temples
t are also foundd in this
sites for conservationn of which six sites occcur disttrict such as Baki Mata, Pashupati Nath
N etc.
in Indiaa i.e. two from Easteern Himalayyas whiich are visitted by the religious peoople. On
(Namdapppa and Nanda N Devii), two froom Shivvratri day, a large numbber of Hinduu people
Western Ghats (Agaasthiyamalaii and Nilgiriis), worrship Lord Shiva
S with leaves ,flowwers and
one eachh from Easterrn Ghats ( Nallamalis
N ) and
a fruits of various plants connsidered religgious by
Andamann and Niccobar Islannds. Peopple themm. Keeping in view thhe above faacts, the
rendered divine honour and worshipped treees. pressent investiggation has been
b under taken
t in
Probablyy tree worsh hip is one of the earliiest whiich an attem mpt has beenn made to describe
forms of religion in Ancient
A Indiia. In the worrds the impact of religious
r annd cultural activities
a
of Lordd Budha “tthe forest is a peculliar on biodiversity
b conservationn
organism m of un nlimited kindness
k a
and
Maaterials and Method
bnevolennce that maakes no demands for its
sustenancce and extends
e geenerously the t Thee present invvestigation wasw done duuring the
products of its life l activityy. It afforrds yearr 2006 – 2007
2 at Khaargone, M.PP.In this
productioon of all beiings, offerinng shade to thet connnection 10 persons of each religioon were
axe mann who destro oys it “. Sacred values of connsulted and a list off such plannts was
plants haave been weell documennted by Gaddgil preppared whichh are consiidered and used in
and Varttak (1976 a and b) andd Gayatri ett al theiir respective religion. Ennumeration of
o plants
(2003). InI India, whhere almost every day is a withh their scienntific and local names, name
n of
festival, people
p of vaarious religioons residingg in fam
milies and plant partss utilized by the
the counntry observee their own festivals froom devvotees of every
e religgion was prepared
p
time to tiime. A lot of
o plant mateerial is used by following the standard literature forr proper
the devootees of diffferent religioons throughoout idenntification (Bailey,
( 19966; Cooke, 1957;
the year. Khargone isi one of thee tribal distriicts Mahheshwari, 19963; Shastri,, 1977 and Mahajan,
M
of Madhhya Pradesh h, India. Itt is not onnly 19887), (Table 1).
famous for the Naavgraha tem mple but alsoa Ressults and Diiscussion
known forfo its anciennt temples ofo Lord Shiva,
Thee present study
s reveaaled that 747 plant
which arre situated on
o the Satpuura hills of thist
speccies belonging to 71 gennera and 37 families
district. Sirwel Mah hadev, Bijaggarh Mahaddev,
are used by thee devotees od o various reeligions.
Mahakaleshwar tem mple and Mendleshw war
Outt of these 4, 76, 2, 11 annd 5 species are used
Mahadevv are some of the tem mples of Loord
by Christians, Hindus, Jaains, Musliims and
Shiva whhich are fammous in this area
a and visitted
Sikhhs respectivvely. Some of the im
mportant
almost throughout
t the year byb the Hinndu
plannts used by the
t Hindus are a Aegle maarmelos,
communiity especiallly at the tim me of festivvals
Clittorea ternattea, Amarannthus viridiss, Cocos
and in thhe month of Shravana
S ( July
J – Augusst )
nuccifera, Barlerria prionitis, Cynodon dactylon,
d
or every Monday of the t year. Appart from theese,
Dattura stram
monium, Nerium o
odorum,
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Mahajan /V

67 
 Vol. V [2] 20144 /65 – 70 
Mahajan /V

68 
 Vol. V [2] 20144 /65 – 70 
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Table 1: Showing thhe list of plants

p used by the
deevotees of various
v religgious commmunities.
Tabernaeemontana divaricataa, Ocimum andd Lawsonia inermis etc. e are connsidered
sanctum,, Calotropiss procera, Desmostachy
D ya, religgious by thhe Muslim community.
c Among
Emblica officinalis, Mangifera
M inndica, Banaana, Sikhh communityy special immportance is given to
Canna annd others wh hile Araucarria , Cycas and
a Sappindus, Curccuma longa,, Lawsonia inermis,
Pinus species aree used by the Christian Zizip
iphus speciees from religgious point of
o view.
communiity and Pterrospermum acerifolium m is Duee to rapid increase in populatiion and
considereed as one off the most religious
r plaants religgious attitudes of the people of various
by the Jain com mmunity. Besides
B theese, commmunities, a large amouunt of plant material
Craetevaa, Jasminum m, Aloe vera,
v Phoennix, is used
u in various religiouus activities not
n only
Oryza saativa, Salvaddora, Rosa indica,
i Croccus in this
t district but all ovver the worlld. This
69 
 Vol. V [2] 20144 /65 – 70 
Mahajan /V

causes a great loss to our bioddiversity which Gadgil, M. annd V.D. Verrtak (1976 b)):
G
adverselyy affect both
h our flora annd fauna. If we Sacred Grooves
G t Western Ghats
of the
want to conserve
c thee biodiversitty then theree is in India,, Eco. Bot. ,30:152
, – 1660.
urgent neeed for peopple’s awarenness so that thet Gayatri Dubbey, P. Sahhu and T. R.
G R Sahu
environm
mental balancce may not be b disturbed.. (2003): Sacred plants andd their
It is veryy essential th
hat every onne of us shouuld ethnobootanical importancee in
share to make our planet
p healthhier, safer and
a Bundelkkhand region of Madhya
more productive. Of O course, thist is by no Pradesh. In: Plant
means ann easy process but it is not
n difficult toot Diversity
ty, Humann Welfaree And
because ifi once a fav vorable decission is takenn in Conservvation (edss.) M. K. Janar-
each religion to savee our religioous plants thhen thanam & D. Narsimhann, Goa
positive results wo ould definittely save the t University, p. 263-2270.
valuable plants. If wew are moveed by goodw will Mahajan, S. K.,
M K (1987): Further
F addiitions to
and the desire for peace
p and prosperity, thhen the floora of Khargone,
K Madhya
this can be
b achieved. th
Pradesh. In: Proc. 74 Ind. Sci. Cong.
Acknow
wledgement Part III (Bot.
( Sect.) Abst. Pp: 1006.
Authors are thankfu
ul to the Prrincipal, Goovt. Maheshwari, J. K. (19963): The Flora
M F of
P.G.College, Kharggone, M.P. for libraary Delhi, CSRI,
C Delhi.
facilities..
Shastri, M.B.. (1977): Floora of Kharggone,
S
Referencces Madhyaa Pradesh: Reecent Trendss and
Contactss between Embryology and a
Bailey, L
L.H. (1966)): Mannual of Cultivated
Morphoology, p. 445 – 454.
P
Plants, The Macmillan
M C
Company, N
New
Y
York.      

Cooke, T
T. (1957): Flora
F of thee Presidencyy of
B
Bombay, Vol. I – III.
Gadgil, M.
M and V. D. Vartak (1976 a): Sacred
G
Gooves in Ind
dia- Aplea foor continuouus
coonservation,, j. Bom. Natt. Hist. Soc.,
722: 314- 320.

70