Colloquial Variations in the Terminology of Sacred Groves in Indian States

Abstract

Sacred Groves (SGs) are micro hamlets enriched with immense biodiversity profoundly linked with cultural and religious beliefs and taboos of local communities.  SGs are the spots of “Community Based Nature Conservation” which are sustained and preserved based on religious beliefs, conventional sentiments, traditional rituals and ceremonial customs more over enjoy enormous features of consistent anthropogenic interactions. SGs have significance in conserving rich biodiversity, floral and faunal endemicity, maintaining the ground water level and ecological balancing where most of them act as micro-watersheds in refilling the groundwater level. SGs are erected and conserved for local deities or for worshiping any gods who are innately connected to the local tribes or clan. Due to sanctity and sacredness SGs are protected from the mining, encroachments, hunting, fishing and other extreme anthropogenic exploitations. Almost 1,00,000 SGs have been documented from Asia, Africa, America and Europe where the India (14000 Nos) and Japan (10000 Nos) gifted with more. SGs have different colloquial terminologies based on linguistic and cultural dimensions. Maharashtra is the Indian state highly enriched with SGs which are being termed locally as Devrai or Devrahati. Deo Bhumi / Bugyal and Sarnas or Deogudi are the local names for SGs in Uttarakhand as well as the Madhya Pradesh respectively. Kans or Devara Kadu or Devrabana, Nagabana, Bhutappanbana, are considered “Gods Forest” or the sacred groves in Karnataka. SGs in Kerala locally known as the “Kaavu”. Some of the Indian states the SGs has no colloquial names documented so far.