Keywords: Sacred groves, Kerala, structure & dynamics, rituals and rites.
Summary :
Sacred groves of Kerala in combination of ponds/water bodies constitute a unique network of ecological system that is closely intertwined with the life and culture of the people and are found associated with temples and ancestral homes. They are patches of climax vegetation preserved because of prevalent ancient practice in which people protect forests to avoid the perceived wrath of its resident deity. These groves play an important role as preservation plots and many of them harbour rare, endemic and endangered plant species, because of the restraints exercised due to the fear of deities/spirits residing in these groves. A project entitled "Study of the structure, function and dynamics of the sacred groves of Kerala and their conservation" was undertaken at Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It aimed at studying floristic composition,vegetation dynamics, ecology as well as cultural rituals prevalent in 173 sacred groves from 13 districts of Kerala.
Structurally, the vegetation of the sacred groves is typically of tropical evergreen forest in general with several tiers or types of trees, climbers, shrub and undergrowth. There are instances where semi-deciduous trees are found dominant. The first layer the emergent trees are an average of 30-50 mt height consists species of Artocarpus, Alstonia, Hopea, Callophyllum, Diospyrus, Holigarna, Ficus, Vateria etc. The second layer 20-30 mt consist of all the members of the first layer as well as species of Garcinia, Carallia, Mimusops, Polyalthia, Hydnocarpus, Myristica, Knema etc. The third layer between 10-20 mt consist mainly the species of Aglaia, lxora, Meiogyna, Acronychia, Listsea, Northopegia, Morinda, Polyalthia etc. Climbers and strangglers are one of the conspicuous feature of the sacred groves of Kerala. They compete actively with trees for space and light and considerably effect the structure and function of the groves. The most common members are Gentum ula, Anamirta coculus, Cissus palida, Tetracera akra, Strychnos minor, Connarus monocarpus, Dalbergia volubilis etc. In the under-storey, species of Calamus, Pandanus, herbacious angiosperms and many ferns are present. Among the epiphytes, orchid species of Vanda, Bulbophyllum, Cymbidium, Taenophyllum etc. and parasite species of Loranthus, Ficus, Fragarea, Santalum etc. are widely distributed in the groves. Dominant species that are wide spread in all the sacred groves are Artocarpus hirsutus, Holigarna arnottiana, Strychnos minor, Vateria indica, Solena amplexicaulis, Syzygium heyneanum, Hydnocarpus pentandra, Glycosmis cochinchinensis, Chaslia Ophioxyloides, Pothos scandans, Hopea ponga, Hopea parviflora, Strychnos nuxvomica, Abrus precatorius, Syzygium cumini, Mimusops elangi, Alstonia scholaris, Tabernaemontanae alternifolia, Cinnamomum sps. etc. Economically important medicinal plants like Rauwolfia serpentina, Aristolochia indica, Nervilia prioniana, Amorphatus whittiana etc. are found in the undisturbed groves, which are otherwise totally eliminated from the wild. Many wild relatives of the cultivated plants like ginger, pepper, turmeric, Cinnamomum, Myristica etc. are also found in many sacred groves and this may constitute precious gene pool valuable for genetic enhancement of these cultivated species.
General survey in 173 sacred groves showed a floristic composition of 411 species of angiosperms belonging to 276 genera and 92 families. Out of the 411 species, 57 species were found to be endemic to Kerala/W.Ghats. Also five endangered species viz. Vateria macrocarpa, Pheanthus malabaricus,Rauwolfia micrantha, Rauwolfia serpentina and Taprobanea spathulata were identified in the sacred groves. The largest family of flowering plant represented in the sacred groves of Kerala was found to be Rubiaceae and other abundant and widely distributed families are Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Annonaceae, Apocyanaceae and Poaceae. Additionally, the sacred groves were found to harbour a large number of gymnosperms, pteridophytes, bryophytes and several mushrooms.
The rituals and rites performed in the sacred groves varies with region, caste and patron deity of the groves. They are ‘Nurum-Palum (an offering) and ‘sarpamtullal"(a type of dance with offering) in sacred groves dedicated to snake gods. "Theyyam" – a form of dance and associated poojas are typically performed in the sacred groves of northern Kerala. The religious and cultural beliefs directly or indirectly promoted sustainable utilization of these natural resources. The project recommended promotion of research and awareness about the roles of sacred groves, called for government support for checking their destruction through possible legislation and proclaiming them as ‘heritage spots’ of the country.
Principal Investigator : Dr. P.N. Krishnan, Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Trivandrum-695 562.
Period of Study : 1995-1998