Sacred Grove

Sacred groves of India are forest groves which are communally protected and usually have a religious connotation. Hunting and logging are usually prohibited within these areas. Other forms of forest usage like honey collection and deadwood collection are sometimes allowed on a sustainable basis. NGOs work with local villagers to protect such groves. Traditionally, and in some cases even today, members of the community take turns to protect the grove. The introduction of the protected area category community reserves under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 has introduced legislation for providing government protection to community held lands, which could include sacred groves. Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported across India, which serve as protected spaces for rare fauna and flora amid rural and even urban settings. According to Malhotra (1998), the number of sacred groves in India is between 100,000 and 150,000. Threats to the groves include urbanization, fragmentation, encrochement, and over-exploitation of resources. While many of the groves are looked upon as abodes of Hindu deities, in the recent past a number of them have been partially cleared for construction of shrines and temples. Sacred groves are places of yatra (pilgrimage) in Indian-origin religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Indian sacred groves are often associated with temples, monasteries, shrines, pilgrimage sites, or with burial grounds. Historically, sacred