Sacred Groves: India’s Ancient Guardians of Nature and Culture

In the green hills of Meghalaya on the eastern flank of the Himalayas, the Khasi tribe looks after law lyngdoh, a sacred grove of ancient trees, signifying the spirits of their ancestors. In Kerala, villages care for the temple-bound kavus groves, which are home to rare medicinal plants and endangered birds. Spanning across India to South Asia, these culturally protected forests, also known as sacred groves, have a deep cultural and ecological significance. They are the living accounts of the bond between communities, culture, and nature, and they hold important lessons for a world struggling with climate challenges and biodiversity loss.

 

For centuries, India’s tribal and rural communities have turned to the forest for more than just firewood, medicines, or shelter, they see these pockets of green as living temples, home to deities and the spirits of their ancestors. Spanning across the subcontinent as pockets of wealth of biodiverse plant and animal life, these culturally protected forests, or sacred groves, are stitched into the everyday rhythms of village life. Jharkhand’s Oraon people believe certain ancient trees hold the souls of their forebears and felling them is considered unthinkable. In Karnataka, villagers gather each year for colourful festivals in Devarakadu groves, offering prayers and food to local gods. These rituals aren’t just about faith; they double as age-old environmental laws. These unwritten laws forbid hunting or timber cutting, and they have been keeping forests intact long before national parks were even dreamed up. Today, these sacred patches are small but mighty oases of biodiversity. Meghalaya’s groves contain more than 700 plant species, which include delicate orchids and rare ferns that have failed to survive in the logged forests outside their borders. In Kerala, the reverence for Vembanad Lake’s shores has kept the halfbeak fish alive; a critically endangered species.

 

These groves also serve as gene banks, preserving the wild crop relatives and medicinal plants that are vital for Ayurveda and traditional medicines. They also regulate water cycles. Sikkim’s Devithan springs supply fresh water to the villages and prevent soil erosion, acting as natural sponges during monsoon season when heavy rains pelt the mountains. In the urban areas of Sikkim it has been observed that these sacred groves act as carbon sinks absorbing twice the amount of carbon compared to the forests in the rural zones, highlighting the role of these sacred groves in ecological preservation and climate mitigation.

 

These forests are essential for rural households in India, as they rely on them for foraging wild fruits, honey, fodder, and medicines, which provides a safety net during crop failures. In the Jharkhand region, tribal women gather herbs for traditional remedies. In parts of Rajasthan, Orans groves provide the pastoralists with water and forage resources. These forests are also cultural anchors where cultural and spiritual events are hosted, and they serve as areas of community gathering. In Bhutan, Buddhist monasteries are known to practice meditation in these sacred forests; similarly, in Sri Lanka’s vihara vanas blend spirituality with conservation practices. In the unsatiable thirst for development, these green sanctuaries stand as proof that old wisdom can teach us new ways to care for nature, if only we choose to listen.

 

These green sanctuaries are now under threat. India's colonial past created a deadly precedent for these resilient patches of preservation. The 1793 Permanent Settlement Act of the British East India Company cleared forests for agriculture, displacing the tribals from their own land. The 1878 Forest Act favoured timber for building and expanding the British empire. In India, this trend continues to be perpetuated by the forces of modern urbanization and industry. Today, sacred groves in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are shrinking under the pressure of roads, railways, and real estate development. Similarly, palm oil estates in Indonesia and Malaysia have destroyed these pristine forests, reflecting the regional pattern of commercialization over culture.

 

Climate challenges have exacerbated these losses with variable rains and rising temperatures, which have a negative impact on these groves’ ecosystem. Declining wild fruit crops have disturbed local diets in Karnataka's Sharavathi Valley. Alien species like the Lantana bush have smothered native growth, and human-wildlife conflict has escalated as populations grow. Ancient taboos that once protected groves are also crumbling; the beliefs that kept these groves preserved are now viewed as superstitions by youth influenced by urban lifestyles. Temple construction within the groves has drawn pilgrims who unknowingly undermine these fragile ecosystems.

 

International conservation initiatives, though well-intentioned, tend to worsen the situation. Western-style models emphasizing ‘pristine’ wilderness have dispossessed millions of indigenous communities, making them ‘conservation refugees.’ In India, tiger reserves have forced tribes such as the Baigas from their land, whose traditional activities maintained forests for thousands of years. Top-down methods such as these, isolate communities, destroying the very traditions that had conserved groves for centuries. Government-sponsored heritage projects in South-Asia overlook ethnic minorities, dissociating them from their sacred places.

 

Against such adversity, stories of resilience also endure. In Thailand's Chiang Rai, the Karen S'gaw community practices rai mun wian rotational farming that allows the land to lie fallow for seven years, which helps in preserving the biodiversity. Through a program supported by the Chiang Mai University, they have been able to document their traditional knowledge and have resisted policies that restrict the usage of these commons. In Sikkim, Buddhist monasteries protect tree groves that serve as carbon sinks, aligning faith with environmental preservation. In various parts of the world, natural ecosystems are beginning to be recognized as rights-bearing entities and empowers the communities as their custodians. In India's rivers Ganges and Yamuna have been conferred legal personhood.  

 

India can lead the way to preserving its sacred groves by embracing community-based collaborative solutions. Giving the decision-making power to the communities is the key. Recognition of customary rights, like in Rajasthan's Bishnoi community, protection of blackbuck ensures locals remain custodians of wildlife. The Forest Rights Act (2006) of India established a legal framework for the protection of these groves, though its implementation needs to be more streamlined. Co-management agreements between the governments and communities can also create successful partnerships, as seen in Nepal's community forestry programs. Additionally, financial incentives like Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) can compensate communities for providing ecosystem services while preserving these ancient commons, following the Costa Rican model; however, periodic audits and accountability are required for successful implementation of such programs.

 

Integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is crucial. There are various ways to implement that; for example, practices like the Khasi’s seasonal hunting bans align with wildlife cycles, offering insights for sustainable management. Research initiatives, such as India’s Sacred Grove Inventory, can document TEK, bridging indigenous wisdom with science. Awareness campaigns, like Kerala’s grove festivals, engage youth, countering the drift from tradition. There is also an evident need for legal protections to shield groves from encroachment, and partnerships with NGOs can help in balancing conservation with development.

 

These ancient commons or sacred groves are not just an idea that is stuck in the past; they are, in fact, the blueprints for a sustainable future. They are a reminder that ecology and culture are not opposites but are deeply intertwined. They are best conserved by communities, when they are allowed to follow their traditional ways of life. India can protect these green sanctuaries so that they remain pillars of biodiversity protection, cultural preservation, and environmental resilience. The Khasi village headman caring for law lyngdoh or the Kerala farmer protecting a kavu is not just protecting a forest but a way of life; that aspect of these culturally protected forests needs to be understood. In the face of climate crises and cultural disruptions, India's sacred groves are honouring the past, strengthening the present, and working towards securing a greener future.

 

(Keral is a faculty member, University of Hawai'i Manoa, Honolulu and Khawas is Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.)