Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 34 10 Sacred Spaces Traditions that care for the environment A festive mood is in the air. Young Khasi girls in bright yellow costumes and boys in sparkling white, gently sway to the rhythmic beat of drums. A bard sing’s a song, and a priest performs his rites. A flute plays in the background. An ancient tribal dance, the Shad Nongran, and long forgotten customs, are being revived for the most unlikely of reasons—afforestation. The future is being celebrated, a future with a green cover. It is an effort by a band of activists to preserve the Law Kyntang, the 79 sacred groves dotting the hilly north-eastern state of Meghalaya. For centuries tradition ensured that no one set foot in these oak and rhododendron patches. Not one leaf or even a blade of grass was plucked for fear of angering the presiding deities. Tales abounded about what became of those who did. With the passage of time, old beliefs gave way to new. These groves were no longer considered sacred, and became targets of exploitation. It was relentless plunder. It was in the 1990s that a group of local environmentalists decided to do something about this situation. The significance of the groves was not only biological, but also anthropological. In 1992 a young Khasi poet and folklorist, Desmond L. Kharmawphlang, along with a German sculptor, Thomas Kaiser, met the Syiem (Chief) of Khyrim, and decided to regenerate the sacred groves. Many joined this movement of restoring the lost glory of their forefathers. While superstitions were not revived, long abandoned customs were recalled in the effort to regenerate the groves. The World Bank is also providing assistance in this effort. Sacred groves are essentially small patches of native vegetation traditionally protected by local communities. The size of the grove may range from less than a hectare to more than a few square kilometers. Often the species conserved in the sacred groves are the ones that perform key functions in the region’s eco-system and contribute in supporting and enhancing the biodiversity. Sacred groves are found in several states of India. While a study recorded 13,270 sacred groves in India, it surmised that there may be thousands more. Each has its Conserving the Sacred Islands of Diversity Reported number of Sacred Groves in India Andhra Pradesh 750 Arunachal Pradesh 58 Assam 40 Chhattisgarh 600 Gujarat 29 Haryana 248 Himachal Pradesh 5000 Jharkhand 21 Karnataka 1424 Kerala 2000 Maharashtra 1600 Manipur 365 Meghalaya 79 Orissa 322 Rajasthan 9 Sikkim 56 Tamil Nadu 448 Uttaranchal 1 West Bengal 670 Total 13,270
Recognition of Traditional Practices and Technology as an Integral Part of Strategy 35 own unique features including the type of biodiversity found in the grove, and the purposes it fulfills in the overall ecological processes.   A tiny sacred grove in Kerala, in South India, covering only 1.4 sq. km., contains 722 species of angiosperms as compared with 960 species occurring in 90 sq. Km. of the Silent Valley National Park in the same state. The biological spectrum of the sacred groves in Kerala closely resembles the typical spectrum of tropical forest biodiversity. Syzigium travancoreum, an endemic tree reported from the low level evergreen forests of Kulathupuzha (South Kerala), has been found only in a few sacred groves of Pathanamthitta district. Kunstleria keralensis, a climbing legume which plays an important role in rural life of the area, is today found only in specific groves of Kerala. Entada phaseoloides whose bark is used to treat cattle bitten by snakes, survives only in the sacred groves. In Cherrapunji in the Northeastern state of Meghalaya, women today face a daily problem of water shortage. A fact hard to believe for a place, which not so long ago, was on the map as the spot which had the highest rainfall in the world. In recent years Cherrapunji has lost its capacity to hold water. Deforestation has led not only to drastic loss in biodiversity, but also opened the way to desertification. In the midst of this bleak scenario, Cherrapunji continues to retain the sacred grove of Mawsmai—a tiny pocket of vegetation Efficient Irrigation Apatani is one of the 26 tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, inhabiting the plateau between Kamala, Khru and Panior ranges in the eastern Himalayas. The plateau is located around 1500 m above sea level. The local communities are involved in rice cultivation. For centuries the Apatanis have practiced a scientific system of irrigation on their paddy fields, efficiently harvesting water from the river Kele after it emerges out of the forest. The water that comes from the ground is also collected in a pond and directed to the fields.  The water from the river is diverted to the paddy fields by making diversions through a network of channels regulated by wooden sluice gates. By opening and closing of these gates, the water is regulated so that the desired field is irrigated. These days, for better regulation of water, modern iron sluice gates are fast replacing the wooden ones. Hollow pieces of bamboo stem are suitably placed in the plot to drain off the water to other plots. The conduit of the bamboo pipes in the plots is covered with bamboo meshes to prevent their escape to adjacent fields. The rice field which is in gentle gradient is flooded with the water and the overflow is passed on to the next field, located at a slightly lower level. In this manner every field receives water through controlling the outlet and inlet. All organic waste including human, pig and poultry refuse generated in the village is drained into the irrigation channels, and ultimately finds its way to the agricultural fields. This not only adds valuable fertilizers to the field but also cleans the environment. Rearing of fish is carried out along with paddy cultivation by digging a pit in the middle of the field. The Apatani do not waste anything. Millets are grown on the raised embankments between rice fields. The husk from the previous year is used as fertilizer. The community does not use any chemical fertilizers in their fields. Their entire agrarian economy is based on a deep understanding and efficient use of local resources. The Apatani system of agriculture provides high yields as compared to both traditional Indian agriculture agro-systems, and modern European systems.   A Kingly Gesture A ninth century Chola king named Parivallal was known for his generosity and concern for nature. Once, passing through a forest, he felt thirsty. Stopping his chariot near a stream, he got down to drink water. When he returned to his chariot, he noticed something that stopped him from boarding the chariot. A tendril of a creeper (locally called Nilotpal) had grown and twined around the spokes of the wheel. Had he moved his chariot, the tendril would have broken. The king decided to walk back to his palace. The story of this king has been passed down from generation to generation. Many values, preserved since time immemorial, hold good even today in India. Sacred Groves are living examples of traditions that live on.
Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 36 A Tradition of Co-existence Kokkare Bellure is a typical village of Karnataka in southern India.For six months of the year, villagers follow the rhythm of the agricultural calendar. Then in December, hundreds of spot-billed pelicans and painted storks migrate in from south Karnataka to establish breeding colonies in the tall tamarind trees in the very heart of the village. For the next six months, birds and people co-exist in extraordinary intimacy. The air is alive with the quiver of heavy wings, the clattering of stork bills, and the panting of pelicans. The storks and pelicans are exclusively fish eaters. Still they persist in breeding in Kokkare Bellure, which is located away from any substantial water body. The very name of the place  ‘Kokkare’ meaning storks, bears this out. The villagers have always offered protection to the birds, believing that they bring good fortune with regard to rain and crops.   The villagers’ attachment to the birds pays them back. Even after the Green Revolution, the villagers here did not introduce chemical inputs into their agriculture. They did not need to, as they had a rich supply of the natural fertilizer—guano (droppings from fish-eating birds), which falls from the trees. The owners of trees inhabited by the birds dig deep pits underneath them, into which the guano falls. Silt from nearby lakes and ponds is then added at intervals, as the guano accumulates. This prevents leaching of the nutrients, and has the additional benefit of helping to keep the local water bodies well dredged. At the end of the season, the rich mixture is put on the fields as a fertilizer. The pelican is now on the endangered species list and Kokkare Bellure is one of the ten known breeding sites left in India. Several developments—bridge construction over the Shimsha River nearby, a proposed plan to set up a holiday resort, lake water pollution and illegal poaching of pelicans—are posing major threats. The rise in the population of the village has put an increasing pressure on the land and a pressure on the trees to fulfill fuelwood and timber needs of the people. In 1976, identifying this bird village as being of special interest, the Karnataka Forest Department appointed a local person as forest guard to set up a protection system for the trees and birds. It also issued a protection order under the Karnataka Tree Protection Act with respect to the trees used for nesting. The owner of such a tree could fell it only if it was diseased or dead. The Forest Department also offered annual compensation for trees used for nesting by birds, thereby protecting the trees from being chopped down. With these initiatives and the work of NGOs in the area, the village continues to be a haven for the pelicans. Across the country in Kheechan, a village in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, migratory Demoiselle Cranes are warmly welcomed every year during October-November. These birds reach their destination after long and arduous migration from Southern Europe, North Africa, and parts of Russia. They start pouring in from September and usually remain in the area around Kheechan till the end of March. Today Kheechan has become synonymous with the harmonious relationship between villagers and birds. All this started with one person, Ratan Lal Manu Jain, who started feeding the cranes. Individual effort grew into a community effort when the villagers collectively adopted the cranes. The villagers in and around Kheechan started donating grains while other villagers donated money. A Pakshi Chuggaghar (bird feeding place) was built. Jain opened a bank account in the name of Pakshi Chuggaghar, to handle the money which now comes in from different parts of the country. With the feeding system in place over so many years, cranes have learned to come to the chuggaghar twice a day—in the early morning and late evening.To protect the cranes, the villagers formed the Marwar Crane Foundation (MCF). The MCF helps to protect the cranes and monitor tourist movement to see that they do not disturb the birds and their habitat. Kheechan is by no any means a prosperous village, but the villagers lack nothing by way of food, water, security, and most importantly, happiness. For these blessings the people seem to credit the birds. For the people of Kheechan, the care of the cranes is an act of faith. (6 sq. km.) which has been strictly protected for religious and cultural reasons. This highly fragile ecosystem is the only surviving representative of what was once the climax vegetation of the Cherrapunji region. Traditional beliefs and faith still underpin conservation in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu on India’s Southeastern coast. Kongayi Amman is a goddess worshipped by twelve villages in the Koli Hills. The Goddess cannot tolerate the sound of wood-cutting and hence no one can fell a tree within an area of 4.5 ha around the temple. These Sami Salai, as the sacred groves are locally called, are the habitat of many kinds of trees which give shade, flowers, and fruits, and valuable medicinal plants.
Recognition of Traditional Practices and Technology as an Integral Part of Strategy 37 Recognizing the Value The biological value of sacred groves is well recognized today. Many scientific institutions are involved in studying these, while several NGOs are creating awareness about their importance. As a state-level initiative towards documenting sacred groves, the government of Maharashtra has undertaken a project to prepare an up-to-date inventory of sacred groves in Maharashtra with details about the area, location, name of the deity to whom the grove is dedicated, ownership and vegetation type of each grove. The National Museum of Humankind, Bhopal has taken up a project to set up plots replicating sacred groves from different parts of India. The aim is to raise awareness on the ecological and socio- economic significance of these groves to humankind. Cultural events and religious practices associated with each of the groves would be organized with the participation of the communities concerned. Conservation linked to religious and cultural beliefs has been important in preserving biodiversity in different regions of India. The fact that many of the species conserved are vital for the ecosystem functioning in the area changes the role of these groves from being ‘purely religious spaces’ to those which also have a larger ‘ecological’ role to fulfill. O Mother Earth! You are the world for us and we are your children; let us speak in one accord; let us come together so that we live in peace and harmony Atharva Veda (c 1200 B.C.)