Sacred groves in TN's Kolli hills falls to 35 from 236

Ecologically important sacred groves have come down to 35 from 236 in the Kolli hills on the Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu in the past ten to 15 years, research has revealed.
"In the last ten to 15 years, sacred groves in Kolli hills has reduced to just 35 from 236," phytologist ED Israel Oliver King, who has done studies related to the issue in Kolli hills, told PTI.
A sacred grove is a group of trees of special religious importance usually in a forest or in its fringes. Important on several counts including ecology, the local people venerate it based on their faith. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world.

King has done a doctorate on the subject as well from the University of Madras.
Explaining on the dwindling numbers, he said it has dwindled both in terms of extent and quality of grove.
"The tree quality, density and diversity has all gone for a toss in the Kolli hills," he said.

Asked on the reason behind the fall in numbers, he said encroachment of sacred forest space for cultivation purpose by locals was among the several causes.
"Locals use the shade and canopy which is needed for cash crops like coffee, pepper and cardamom," he said.
Invasion of alien species including Lantana sp and Parthenium sp is another important reason, he said.

Asked why sacred groves are important, he said they are important from the botanical, ecological, socio-cultural and community perspectives.
"They sustain the ecosystem, it also serves as a perennial water source besides serving as a space for community interaction," he added.
Tribals of Thuvarappallam forests refer to a sacred grove on the forest slopes in Kolli hills as "Pongalayi Amman sami solai".
Under a canopy, a space is demarcated on ground by stones. A stone resembling a stone tool is being worshipped as Goddess Amman.
"The local people's faith over sacred groves is intact and in a sense it helps conserve them. Taboos and social norms are key to their existence," King said.

Underscoring that sacred spaces must be protected, he said it could be done only through community participation and with government support and through better implementation of heritage site provisions found in National Biodiversity Act.