Page 16 - Young Intach Jan-March 2022.indd

SACRED spread Tribal Tree
Mahua is considered as the tree of the
tribal communities. The tree is also
ORAN (RAJASTHAN) represented in many tribal and folk
paintings like the Gond and Warli.
Sacred groves called Oran are biodiversity management
systems unique to Rajasthan. A lifeline for rural
communities and animals, they have diff erent species KOVIL KADU (TAMIL NADU)
of trees like khejri, kumat, babool, ker, rohira etc. Kovil Kadu is the local name of
Sanidhya Daga, Class 10C, Happy Hours School, Jodhpur sacred groves of Tamil Nadu. It
comprises of Tamil folk deities
CHILKIGARH (WEST BENGAL) and their trees. There are four
kinds dedicated to village Gods,
The Chilkigarh sacred grove is a well-known grove snake Gods, Shaivaite Gods, and
of West Bengal situated in the Jhagram district. This Vaishnavite Gods
sacred grove dates to the pre-Nawab era of Bengal. Krishaa G A, Class 9B, Amrita Vidyalayam,
Nallampalayam, Coimbatore; S.S.
Manaswinee Sau, Class 8, DAV Model School, IIT Kharagpur Megadarshini, Class 9A, Glazebrooke
Illustration by Krishaa G A,
Public School, Reddiyur, Salem Class 9B, Amrita Vidyalayam,
Nallampalayam, Coimbatore
UMANGLAI (MANIPUR)
ACTIVITY:
The worshipping and protection of forests in the
name of Umanglai – sacred groves, is still done today. SACRED STUDY
These are the homes of local deities. In Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sacred groves are called

Ishika Kamboj, Class 9C, Saraswati Public School, Jagadhri Gompas and are uniquely attached to the Buddhist
monasteries. Share a sacred grove story from your region!
SARNA (JHARKHAND)
KAVU (KERALA)
Jharkhand’s sacred groves are
generally called Sarnas. They Kavu is the name given to the sacred groves of
are central to the culture and Kerala. The Iringole Kavu is one of the sacred groves
heritage of tribal communities. of Ernakulum. The place is beloved to have been
These patches of forests have consecrated by Lord Parsurama, the sixth avatar of
sal trees and other sacred trees. Vishnu. The Sree Nidumgottum Kavu is a sacred grove
Gherabandi is a scheme to in Eranholi, Thalassery in Kerala. Goddess Durga in the
protect and conserve sarnas in form of Sree Kurumba is worshipped as the main deity.
Jharkhand.
Illustration by Gnana Prasuna, Manav Biju, Class 9, Shreya S. Pillai, Class 9D, Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir,
Palak, Class 9A, Motilal Nehru Public Class 9, Sree Vidyanikethan Elamakkara, Ernakulam
School, Jamshedpur International School, Sree
Sainath Nagar, Tirupati

DEVRAI (MAHARASHTRA)

Devrai is a mixture of two Marathi words – Dev (God) and
Rai (Forest). People worship devrais as sacred groves in
certain parts of forests. No one is allowed to touch this part
of the forest. These are found in the Western Ghats. Taking
soil from here is also considered a bad omen.
Aditi Dhananjay Deshmukh, Class 8, MGM's Sanskar Vidyalaya, Aurangabad

Illustration by Deepanvitha, Class 7, Sree Vidyanikethan
International School, Sree Sainath Nagar, Tirupati

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