Locations
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.
Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported from all over India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, and more often rare flora, amid rural and even urban settings. Experts believe that the total number of sacred groves could be as high as 100,000.
It is estimated that around 1000 km² of unexploited land is inside sacred groves. Some of the more famous groves are the kavus of Kerala, which are located in the Western Ghats and have enormous biodiversity; and the law kyntangs of Meghalaya – sacred groves associated with every village (two large groves being in Mawphlang and Mausmai) to appease the forest spirit.
Among the largest sacred groves of India are the ones in Hariyali, near Ganchar in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, and the Deodar grove in Shipin near Simla in Himachal Pradesh. Kodagu, a small region of about 4000 km² in Karnataka, had over 1000 sacred groves.
| State | No of groves | Local name | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 750 | B. R. P. Rao | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 65 | Gumpa forests (since attached to monasteries) |
Dudley et al. |
| Assam | 40 | Than, Madaico | |
| Chhattisgarh | 600* | Sarna, Devlas, Mandar, Budhadev |
|
| Goa | NA* | SERBC document | |
| Gujarat | 29* | ||
| Haryana | 248 | ||
| Himachal Pradesh | 5000 | Deo bhumi | |
| Jharkhand | 21* | Sarna
more than 500 " Jaherthan" in Godda of Jharkhand |
Marine Carrin |
| Karnataka | 1424 | Devarakadu, Devkad |
Gadgil et al. |
| Kerala | 2000 | Kavu, Sarpa Kavu | M. Jayarajan |
| Madhya Pradesh | 21* | Devkot, Matikot, Devsthali, Budhadev |
|
| Maharashtra | 1600 | Deorai/Devrai (Pune, Ratnagiri, |
Waghchaure et al. |
| Manipur | 365 | Gamkhap, Mauhak (sacred bamboo reserves) |
Khumbongyam et al. |
| Meghalaya | 79 | Law kyntang, Law lyngdhoh |
Upadhyay et al. |
| Orissa | 322* | Jahera, Thakuramma | |
| Puducherry | 108 | Kovil Kadu | Ramanujam et al. |
| Rajasthan | 9* | Oran (Jaiselmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner), Kenkri (Ajmer), Vani (Mewar), Shamlat deh, Devbani (Alwar), Jogmaya |
|
| Sikkim | 56 | Gumpa forests (since attached to monasteries) |
S. S. Dash Dudley et al. |
| Tamil Nadu | 503 | Kovil Kadu | M. Amrithalingam |
| Uttarakhand | 18* | Devbhumi, Bugyal (sacred alpine meadows) |
Anthwal et al. |
| West Bengal | 670* | Garamthan, Harithan, Jahera, Sabitrithan, Santalburithan |
R. K. Bhakat |
All numbers are quoted from the records of the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre of the Government of India. Starred numbers are likely to increase. The centre also maintains a complete list of identified sacred groves in India, most of which is online.
Read more about this topic: Sacred Groves Of India