The Need For Special Laws To Conserve India’s Sacred Groves

Justin Biju Thomas, Christ (Deemed to be University)

ABSTRACT

The sacred groves are legally protected in India as “community reserves” under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2002. Modern influences are diminishing holy trees and eroding the traditions that safeguard them. Sacred groves also meet the water demands of surrounding populations. The sacred groves were destroyed to accommodate new infrastructural buildings, dams, highways, railroads etc and the scale of damage differed from each region. It is past time to raise public awareness about this problem, as the only way to avoid development operations such as tree felling, vegetation clearance, and so on is to adopt legislation that specifically preserves holy groves. Local communities safeguard these holy trees, which are devoted to native deities or spiritual beings, through social rituals and taboos that include religious and ecological values. Fortunately, hundreds of holy trees have survived, and many communities still follow customary practices. Sacred groves in India are said to have existed since the pre-agrarian hunter- gatherer era, and its prevalence has indeed been recorded since the early 18th century. India, like many other countries across the world, has a long tradition of nature worship, which is being practiced today, particularly via the devotion of forest groves. However, due to the rapid boom of population in India and modernization, the sacred groves have been destroyed to meet with the needs of the modern society. Sacred groves are currently essential as a consequence of these restrictive limits that have been sustained through many years as these sacred groves are important reservoirs of biodiversity in India. Sacred groves are examples of native plants that have been preserved through many generations in such a pristine or relatively close condition, and therefore are rich in biodiversity & home to many rare plant and animal species. Many groves were also destroyed and turned into temples and shifted the focus to worshiping idols instead of nature.

Keywords: Sacred groves, Pre-agrarian, Modernization, Pristine, Biodiversity