Sacred Groves in India: How Communities Protect Nature Across Regions
Across India, communities guard sacred forests through unwritten rules tied to religion and culture. Documentation records thousands of groves, with regional practices varying from prohibited logging to controlled harvesting, contributing to biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Key takeaways
- Communities across India guard forest patches as sacred, governed by unwritten customary rules tied to religious and cultural significance.
- CPREE C has documented 13,270 sacred groves, though the total number may be higher and is not yet finalized.
- In Karnataka, grove area declined from ~15,000 acres to under 9,000 acres by 2018 due to migration and economic pressures, illustrating pressures on these landscapes.
- Kerala is piloting restoration in Kavus, identifying over 100 native/threatened species and planning about 3,000 saplings.
- Sacred groves contribute to biodiversity preservation, soil moisture retention, groundwater recharge, and local livelihoods in some dry areas.
What Happened
Communities across India have historically treated certain forest patches as sacred, governed by customary rules rooted in religious or cultural significance. These rules often restrict tree felling, hunting, and removal of forest products, while in some places, limited harvesting of honey, medicinal plants, or deadwood is allowed under local norms. Modern researchers describe these areas as biodiversity refuges, carbon stores, water catchments, and ecological corridors, while communities refer to them with regional terms such as Devarakadu in Karnataka, Kavu in Kerala, Oran in Rajasthan, Sarna or Jaherthan in Jharkhand, Law Kyntang in Meghalaya, and Umang Lai in Manipur. The idea remains consistent: some forests are not freely available for use. The scale and precise boundaries of these groves are often not formally mapped by government authorities, existing instead as customary landscapes protected by local knowledge and practice.
Two key developments have emerged from contemporary reporting: first, a formal documentation effort by the CPR Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) that has catalogued thousands of sacred groves across India; second, ongoing restoration and protection initiatives in specific states, signaling renewed attention to these landscapes as part of broader conservation and land-management strategies.
Regional examples include Karnataka’s Devarakadu, traditionally forbidding felling and clearing of trees, with ritual reverence to the five natural elements; Kerala’s Kavus, which retain much of their forest character and are the focus of a pilot restoration program; and the Northeast, where Khasi communities in Meghalaya protect groves known as Law Kyntang or Law Ly. In some places, expansion or encroachment has reduced grove area, such as the reduction from about 15,000 acres to under 9,000 acres in Karnataka’s Malnad region by 2018, attributed to migration and economic pressures according to a New Indian Express report.
The documented reach of sacred groves is substantial but not exhaustively counted. CPREEC’s records list 13,270 groves, while researchers acknowledge that the actual number could be higher and that their documentation is not a finalized census.
Why It Matters
The practice intertwines cultural heritage with ecological outcomes. Sacred groves can harbor native species that have disappeared elsewhere, help stabilize soils, retain moisture, and support groundwater recharge. In drier areas, these groves may also provide grazing land, fodder, and water resources for communities. The preservation of such landscapes through customary rules offers a form of local stewardship that complements formal conservation efforts, especially in landscapes increasingly fragmented by development and infrastructure.
Background
The term “sacred groves” refers to patches of natural vegetation protected for religious, cultural, or spiritual reasons. Across different states, the practice appears under diverse local names and follows rules that vary from place to place, ranging from strict prohibition of exploitation to regulated use of forest resources. Documentation efforts have sought to quantify and map these groves, though boundaries and rules often exist primarily as local knowledge rather than formal government delineations.
Key Facts
- CPR Environmental Education Centre documents thousands of sacred groves; its records list 13,270 groves, with the caveat that the count is not final.
- Estimated grove area in Karnataka’s Malnad region declined from about 15,000 acres to under 9,000 acres by 2018, with migration and economic pressures cited as contributing factors.
- Kerala’s Kavus are among the best-preserved groves and a pilot restoration program has been launched covering five Kavus, identifying more than 100 native and threatened plant species and planning nearly 3,000 saplings for planting.
- Regional terms used for sacred groves include Devarakadu (Karnataka), Kavus (Kerala), Law Kyntang or Law Ly (Meghalaya), Oran (Rajasthan), Sarna/Jaherthan (Jharkhand), Umang Lai (Manipur), and Dev Van (Himachal Pradesh).
What Happens Next
Journalistic and academic attention appears to be sustaining efforts to document and protect sacred groves, with restoration pilots underway in at least some states. The ongoing work includes expanding the documented inventory, clarifying boundaries where possible, and integrating traditional practices with formal conservation strategies to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services in landscapes facing development pressures.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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