Sacred Groves in India — What They Are and Where They Are Found

Sacred groves exist across India under different regional names:

1. Dev Van / Dev Vani — Hindi belt (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, MP, UP) • 'Dev' = god/deity; 'Van' = forest • Dedicated to local village deities • Common in the Himalayas; some groves are thousands of years old

2. Kavus — Kerala • Small forest patches attached to temples or households • Rich in biodiversity; often have rare plants, snakes (considered sacred) • Also called Kavu

3. Devrais — Maharashtra • Found in the Western Ghats and tribal regions • Protected by tribal communities; cutting trees is taboo • Also called Devrai (singular)

4. Orans — Rajasthan • Also called Jogmaya Van or Vani • Patches of land dedicated to a local deity; trees, animals protected • Common in Rajasthan's semi-arid regions

5. Law Kyntang — Meghalaya • Sacred forest patches of the Khasi and Jaintia tribes • Strictly protected; no hunting, felling, or disturbance allowed • Some are extremely biodiverse and contain rare orchids and medicinal plants

6. Sarna — Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh (tribal regions) • Sacred grove of the Santhal, Oraon, and Munda tribes • Centre of tribal religious life; the Sarna is where rituals are held

7. Thangjing — Manipur • Dedicated to the Meitei deity Thangjing • Found near Loktak Lake region

Importance of Sacred Groves:

1. Biodiversity hotspots: They often protect rare plants, animals, and insects that have disappeared from surrounding forests
2. Water conservation: Many sacred groves protect springs, streams, and water sources
3. Climate regulation: They maintain local microclimates
4. Medicinal plants: Tribal communities use plants from sacred groves for traditional medicine
5. Cultural identity: They are central to tribal religious and social life
6. Community conservation: They demonstrate that communities can protect forests without government enforcement

Threats to Sacred Groves: • Modernisation and loss of traditional beliefs • Encroachment by agriculture and development • Migration of young people away from villages (loss of custodians) • State forest departments sometimes fail to recognise community rights over these groves