Sacred Groves of Eastern Ghats -II

EASTERN GHATS ISSN : 0974-2336 Orissa Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu ENVIS CENTRE ON ECOLOGY OF EASTERN GHATS The ENVIS Centre on Eastern Ghats is a decentralized Environmental Information Centre established by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India on thematic issue Ecology of Eastern Ghats Volume - 14 Issue - 4 October - December, 2008 Sacred Groves of Eastern Ghats -II Editorial In the previous issue the importance of sacred groves, need for their conservation in Eastern Ghats region was presented along with threats to existing sacred groves due to developmental activities. State wise distribution of sacred groves in Eastern Ghats and their conservation measures have been highlighted in this issue. Few more abstracts and bibliography on the sacred groves have been provided which is a continuation of the earlier issue. Activities on environmental days, ENVIS activities are also given. An Expert data form has been provided for the benefit of experts for them to fill up and send to ENVIS Centre. This will help ENVIS Centre to update the expert database in the website and also facilitate to seek the information from them on various themes of Eastern Ghats i.e. on Biological, Physical, Socio-Economic Environments, Programmes & Policies and Information Systems. ENVIS Coordinator Contents Editorial... 1 Sacred groves- their distribution in Eastern Ghats Region... 3 Abstracts on Sacred Groves... 6 Bibliography on Sacred Groves... 6 National / International days... 7 ENVIS Activities... 7 Expert Database form... 8 Borra caves Photo: P.K.Swain ENVIS CENTRE ON EASTERN GHATS ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION TRAINING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE 91/4, Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500 032, A.P., India Ph.:+91-040-23000489, 23001241, 23001242 ; 23001707; Fax No: +40-23000361, URL: http://envis-eptri.ap.nic.in; http//www.eptri.com

EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter ISSN No: 0974-2336 Volume : 14, Issue : 4 Year: 2008 Editorial Team Dr. Razia Sultana, Mr. I. Siva Rama Krishna, Mr. Prabhata Kumar Swain, Mr. B.L.N. Murty, Mrs. J.V.S. Prabhavati, ENVIS Coordinator Published by Supported by Sr. Program Officer Program Officer Program Assistant EPTRI, Hyderabad. Data Entry Operator Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Government of India, New Delhi Instructions to Contributors ENVIS Newsletter on Ecology of Eastern Ghats is a quarterly publication, publishes the articles related to the thematic area of the ENVIS Centre. Authors are requested to send their articles and write-ups, on the themes pertaining to Biological, Physical, Socio-Economic Environments, Programmes & Policies and Information Systems. Readers are requested to kindly visit the website: http://envis-eptri.ap.nic.in. The subject experts on the themes mentioned above are requested to send their details, by filling Expert database form available on the last page of this issue. The information seekers on various themes mentioned above are requested to fill the Query - Response form available on the website. Sacred Groves recored from Eastern Ghats Districts of Andhra Pradesh No. of District Name Sacred Groves Chittor 133 Cuddapah 76 East Godavari 10 Guntur 17 Khammam 4 Krishna 12 Kurnool 115 Mahabubnagar 9 Nalgonda 9 Nellore 87 Prakasam 59 Srikakulam 30 Vishakhapatnam 30 Vizianagaram 32 West Godavari 17 Ananthapur 73 Total 713 Photo: P.K.Swain Inside view of Borra Caves Photo: P.K.Swain The filled in forms may kindly be sent by e-mail to eptri@envis.nic.in / envirorazia@gmail.com or by fax / post to the ENVIS Centre, EPTRI. (Address given in page 1). The views expressed in the Article/s are of Authors. Areal view of Borra Caves 2

EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter Sacred Groves- Their Distribution in Eastern Ghats Region P. K. Swain, I. Siva Rama Krishna and B. L. N. Murty Project Faculty, ENVIS, EPTRI, Hyderabad-500 032 pkswain_chilika@rediffmail.com; isivaram@yahoo.com; murty_1981@yahoo.co.in Sacred groves (SGs) are small patches of forest left untouched by the local inhabitants to be protected by the local village folk deities. Several such groves are reported in many parts of India. These groves now play a vital role in the conservation and preservation of species diversity. Sacred groves are the last remnants of the native vegetation of each particular region. They indicate the vital effort made by local communities to preserve their natural forest tracts against the offense of the clearing of forests for cultivation and settlement. Sacred groves represent an ancient Indian conservation tradition, protected by local people out of reverence and respect, fear and sentiments. They are home to local flora and fauna, a veritable gene pool and mini biosphere reserve. Within these groves are locked ancient secrets of sorcery and magic. Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported from all over India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, and more often rare flora, amid rural and even urban settings. Experts believe that the total number of sacred groves could be as high as 100,000. India is believed to have nearly 14,000 sacred groves spread among different states. Most of the groves are located in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Chhatisgarh. There are still many undiscovered sacred groves existing in the Eastern Ghats region. Indian sacred groves are sometimes associated with temples / monasteries / shrines or with burial grounds. The Eastern Ghats along the Peninsular India extending over 1750 km with average width of about 100 km and extends from 11 03 to 22 03 N Lat. and 77 02 to 87 02 E Long. However all the four States namely Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Tamil Nadu and part of Karnataka have been taken up for the study to maintain continuity in the spatial database. 3 According to literature, the number of flowering plant and endemic taxa occurring in the Eastern Ghats is about 3200 and 146 respectively (Reddy et al. 2006). Based on geological and tectonic considerations, the Eastern Ghats are formed of four sections (Krishnan, 1960; Meher- Homji, 2001; Reddy et al. 2006). Sacred groves are called differently in different states like Kovikaadugal in Tamil Nadu, Pavitraskhetralu in Andhra Pradesh and Jahera, Thakuramma in Orissa. In many parts of India the Scared groves represents the only surviving examples of climax vegetation. Unfortunately many of these groves are disappearing under the influence of modernization. Often the destruction is caused not only due to commercial interest but also because of subtle cultural change. A.P Forest Department has initiated certain specific conservation measures to protect all of its Biodiversity at large landscape level within the forested tracts and most of the very ancient temples along with the sacred groves. The sacred groves of the state of Andhra Pradesh can be classified as 1. Well preserved groves, 2. Less disturbed groves 3. Disturbed groves. The category one has rich flora and fauna and is preserved to a great extent. This is seen in large landscape areas like hill ranges. Less disturbed groves of the places where the flora and fauna is still retained though these are subjected for anthropogenic pressures. The disturbed groves which were once believed to be rich in biodiversity, now in a highly degraded state, mostly due to the urbanization and extension of agricultural land. At present such groves are seen in the middle of the villages or by the side of the roads. For example such groves are seen Arasavelli, Srimukhalingam in Srikakulam dist., Borra caves, Modakondamma in Visakhapatnam district, Sarangadarametta, Sarpavaram in East Godavari district. Though the A.P. Forest Department committed for the protection of Biodiversity in its territorial jurisdiction but also calls for people participation

EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter in protecting various Sacred Groves listed below. Following is the list of Sacred Groves in 23 districts of the state. Sacred Groves in Tamil Nadu There are about 235 Sacred Groves recorded from Eastern Ghats districts of Tamil Nadu. They are distributed in 10 districts: The district wise number of sacred groves are given below. No. of District Name Sacred Groves Dharmapure 32 Dindigul 6 Erode 21 Namakkal 20 Pudukottai 28 Salem 24 Tiruchirappalli 34 Tiruvanamalai 47 Vellore 16 Villupuram 7 Total 235 Sacred Groves in Andhra Pradesh: The state of Andhra Pradesh shared the traditions of Sacred Groves with other parts of the country. There are about 713 sacred groves identified in Eastern Ghats districts of Andhra Pradesh. Some of the very important groves are existing in 26 Protected Areas. However large number of groves are seen outside, mostly being protected by the people under religious prohibition of felling. Important sacred groves in Eastern Ghats districts of Andhra Pradesh: 1. Anantapur : There are about 73 sacred groves of which 21 are hotspots, 11 major groves and 41 minor groves. Thimmamma marrimanu - the largest banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) in the world is seen in this district at Gooty Bailu village. 2. Chittoor : There are 133 sacred groves of which 25 are major groves and 25 moderate and 83 are minor groves. Following is the list of some of the very important groves of this district 4 are: 1) Talakona 2) Kapilatheertham 3) Jeevakona 4) Sanakasananandana Theertham 5) Kumaradhara Theertham 6) Chakra Theertham 7) Japali Theertham 8) Tumbura Theertham 9) Kaigal Waterfalls 10) Sadasiva Kona etc. 3. Cuddapah: The Lankamalais, Palakondas and Veligonda hill ranges of Cuddapah district harbour a good number of sacred groves. There are about 76 sacred groves of which 25 are considered as major groves including 8 hotspots. About 300 plant species are recorded from these sacred groves. 4. East Godavari: There are 10 well preserved groves, 3 less disturbed groves and 2 disturbed. Following is the list of well preserved and less disturbed groves are 1) Talupulamma Lova 2) Annavaram 3) Korukonda 4) Bhairvapalem 5) Pandavulamitta 6) Thantikonda 7) Gummalla Doodi 8) Rampa Hill area 9) Pedda Konda area 10) Dummu Konda. 5. Guntur: There are 17 sacred groves, of which 14 groves are disturbed and only 3 are less disturbed. There are 14 big trees with girths varying from four meters to six meters and age varying from 100 years to 300 years. These include Ficus benghalensis, Ficus amplissima, Ficus religiosa and Azadirachta indica. Three better preserved groves are 1) Kotappa Konda 2) Kondaveedu 3) Nagarjuna Konda. 6. Khammam: There are 3 groves 1) Nugur Fort 2) Parnasala 3) Sthambhadri, Khamma Fort. 7. Krishna: There are 12 sacred groves and most of the groves are disturbed and only 3 are less disturbed. The better preserved groves are 1) Kanakadurgamma Konda 2) Kondapalli Grove 3) Thirumalagiri 4) Gundala Matha Grove 5) Kolleti Kota. 8. Kurnool: There are 115 sacred groves. 39 of them are classified as major groves and 76 are minor groves. 14 better groves are 1) Jagannatha gattu 2) Brahma Gundam 3) Devaragattu 4) Ramamandal 5) Thovi 6) Upper Ahobilam 7) Belum Caves 8) Yeganti 9) Kambagiri Konda 10) Chandrayuni gudi 11) Maddiletiswamy 12) Mahandi 13) Kolambharathi

EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter 14) Paladhara-Panchadhara. 9. Mahabubnagar : There are 9 groves having good-to-moderate vegetation. There are six more groves with a few trees often on plains, 7 groves lacking vegetation and two groves protected recently but not treated as sacred. The better preserved groves are : 1) Umamaheswaram 2) Saileshwaram Valley 3) Kadalivanam found in Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (N.S.T.R), 4) Jellupenta 5) Singavatnam 6) Yettam 7) Maniyamkonda 8) Kurumurthi Konda 9) Koyalakonda area 10) Mallelatheertham. 10. Nalgonda: There are 9 Sacred Groves of which two groves in forest with good vegetation and 2 groves in moderate vegetation, the other 5 groves with poor vegetation. Following are the better preserved groves -1) Yadagirigutta 2) Chandrumgutta 3) Narketpalli 4) Ethipothala. 11. Nellore: There are 87 groves of which 21 are classified as major groves with 4 highly diversed sacred groves. They are 1) Narasimha Konda 2) Penusila Narasimha 3) Nelapattu Grove 4) Siddulaiah Konda. 12. Prakasam: There are 59 groves of which 25 are considered major grove. Some of them are 1) Bairavakona 2) Singarayakonda 3) Mukteswara 4) Malakonda 5) Ramayyapatnam Church 6) Singarakonda 7) Bhimeswara 8) Anumalagiri 9) Nemaligandla 10) Petla Ramaswamy 11) Isukagundalu 12) Palankeswara ( in NSTR). 13. Srikakulam: There are 30 sacred groves of which 8 are well preserved and 14 disturbed. The other 8 groves are highly disturbed groves due to biotic pressures and extension of agriculture. The major groves are 1) Jagatimetta 2) Jatlatada 3) Mallemma Thalli 4) Sangameswara Konda 5) Subhalaya 6) Tarlakota 7) Telukunchi 8) Telineelapuram. 14. Visakhapatnam : There are about 30 sacred groves of which 10 are well preserved, 15 less disturbed and 5 are disturbed. Some of the well preserved groves are - 1) Gudilova 2) Kailasagiri 3) Lingalathirugudu 4) Madhavadhara 5) 5 Mathsagundam 6) Rakshanagiri 7) Simhachalam 8) Upamaka 9) Vaddadi 10) Vaddadi madugula 15. Vizianagaram: There are about 32 sacred groves of which 11 are well preserved, 12 less disturbed and 9 are disturbed. Some of the well preserved groves are - 1) Punyagiri 2) Paramma Konda 3) Jayathi 4) Neredu valasa 5) Gorada 6) Bothili 7) Chitrakonda Boddavalasa 8) Addapu Sila 9) Konada 10) Phoolbagh 11) Bobbili. 16. West Godavari: There are about 17 sacred groves of which four groves are well preserved and 13 are disturbed. Some of the well preserved groves are 1) Pattiseema 2) Pedavegi 3) Jeelakarragutta 4) Gubbalamangamma Sacred groves in Orissa In Orissa about 322 sacred groves were reported as per literature survey. A few tentative inferences in terms of association of SGs with different ethnic groups that can be drawn from the materials described earlier are: (i) that sacred groves are found among both tribals and nontribals; (ii) there is regional variation in terms of ethnic association; (iii) the association with castes of different varnas is not clear; (iv) in States like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, etc., we have both tribals and non tribals. The presence or absence of groves in the nontribal areas is not clear. A random literature search reveals that by and large a majority of the SGs are associated with female deities. Gadgil and Vartak (1976) found, among 21 SGs in Maharashtra, 15 associated with goddesses and 5 with male deity (phallic worship) and one with ancestor worship. Chandran (1995) reports occurrence of both male (Bhutappa, Jatakappa) and female (Choudamma) deities associated with sacred groves in Karnataka. In southwest Bengal and in Koraput district of Orissa, the deities are mostly female (Hemam et al., 1997; Malhotra et al., 1998). Malhotra et al. (1998) have observed taboo against entry of women in the sacred groves among the tribes of south-west Bengal and among the tribes of Koraput district of Orissa.

EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter Abstracts on Sacred Groves Chandran, M.D.S., and Hughes, J.D., The sacred groves of South India: Ecology, Traditional communities and Religious change, Social Compass, 44 (3): 411-425, 1997. The Sacred groves of South India still exist, although the importance given to them is sporadically declining. Several peasant communities such as Karivokkaliga, Halepaik and Halakkigowda perceive the presence of these deities in the entire grove, and it is their place of worship to this day. Das, K. and Malhotra, K. C. 1998 Sacred Groves among the Tribes of India: A Literature Survey of Ethnographic Monographs. Integrated Rural Development of Weaker- Sections in India, Semiliguda. Mimeograph. 36 monographs on the tribes of India have been studied. For each tribe a brief description of the sacred grove is given. Kulkarni, D. K., Barve, J. P., Jagdale, R. P. and Inamdar, A. C. 1993. Floristics of a sacred forest patch from Sundergad district, Orissa state. J. Econ. Tax. Bot., 17(2). The paper gives floristic account of a sacred groves near village Bijadihi (Dist. Sundergad, Orissa State) World Wide Fund for Nature - Andhra Pradesh 1996 Sacred and Protected Groves of Andhra Pradesh. WWF-AP State office, Andhra Pradesh. Extensive documentation has been done by WWF - AP state office of Sacred and Protected Groves of Andhra Pradesh (1996). It records more than 750 sacred elements from 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh M. Amirthalingam, Sacred natural sites in the Eastern Ghats and their role in the conservation of biodiversity, C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre, 1, Eldams Road, Alwarpet, Chennai - 600 018 in Proc. of Natl.Sem. Conservation of Eastern Ghats, 2007 The present paper attempts to summarize four sacred natural sites of Tamilnadu in the Eastern Ghats - Thiruvannamalai, Kolli Hills, Tiruthani and Vallimalai. Bibliography on Sacred Groves John Britto, S., Balaguru, B., Natarajan, D. and Arockiasamy, D.I. 2000. Studies on the enthnobotany and species diversity of the sacred groves at the foothills of Shevaroys, Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. Journal of Hill Research. 13: 130-135. John Britto, S., Balaguru, B., Natarajan, D. and Arockiasamy, D.I. 2000.Comparative Analysis of tree diversity and its population density in a sacred grove at Malliganatham, Pudukottai District of Tamil Nadu. Advances in Plant Sciences. 14(11): 327-330 John Britto, S., Balaguru, B., Soosairaj, S. and Arockiasamy, D.I. 2001. Diversity of plants in a sacred grove of Pudukottai District in Tamil Nadu. J. Economic and Taxonomic Botany, 25(1): 58-62. John Britto, S., Balaguru, B., Soosairaj, S. and Arockiasamy, D.I. 2001. Floristic analysis of a sacred grove at Vamban in Pudukottai District of Tamil Nadu, South India - Journal of Economic & Taxonomy Botany, 25(1): 81-90. M. Amirthalingam. 1998. Sacred Groves of Tamil Nadu A Survey, CPR Environmental Education Centre, Chennai, India, p. 191, M.P. Ramanujam and K. Praveen Kumar Cyril. 2003. Woody species diversity of four sacred groves in the Pondicherry region of South India, Biomedical and Life Sciences and Earth and Environmental Science.12(2): Natarajan D, John Britto S Balaguru B, Nagamurugan N and Soosai Raj S. 2004. Distribution of Sacred Grove forests in the Chitteri Hills of the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu Indian. J. Environment & Ecoplan.8: 375-379, Pandit, P. K., R. K. Bhakat, U. K. Sen. 2008. Role of sacred grove in conservation of plants. Indian Forester. 134 (7): 866-874. Ravi Prasad Rao.2006. Conservation of threatened flora in sacred groves of Southern Andhra Pradesh, Symposium On National Biodiversity and Ecosystem Information Infrastructure (NBEII): Challenges and Potentials, Pune. 6

EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter WORLD FOOD DAY th World Food Day (16 October) was proclaimed in 1979 by the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It marks the date of foundation of FAO in 1945. The aim of the Day is to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. In 1980, the General Assembly endorsed observance of the Day in consideration of the fact that food is a requisite for human survival and well-being and a fundamental human necessity Orissa: World Food Day was observed on 16th October, 2008 in Orissa State. Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India along with ICAR, New Delhi celebrated this Day at Dr. B.P. Pal Auditorium, Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Several dignitaries attended the ceremony including Mr. Sharad Pawar, Hon ble Minister of Agriculture, Food & Supplies, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution, GoI, and several other officials. Special publications were released on this occasion. Elocution and Poster Competition for School children, at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi. Source:http://www.fao.org/getinvolved/worldwid eevents/detail-events/en/item/8054/icode/ The Hindu, 17-10-2008 Tamil Nadu: The Food and Nutrition Board celebrated World Food Day recently at Kodikulam Middle School in coordination with Home Science College, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University. T. R. Rajendran, Demonstration Officer of the board, delivered a lecture on this year s theme, World Food Security: The challenges of climate and bio-energy. Source: The Hindu, 22-10-2008 ENVIS Activities Botanical Garden Project: The project entitled: Ex-situ Conservation of threatened plants endemic to Eastern Ghats through establishing a Botanical Garden at EPTRI, Hyderabad has been sanctioned by MoEF-GoI. Under this project it is proposed to establish a Greenhouse at EPTRI and collection of few threatened plants endemic to Eastern Ghats are to be brought from various forested areas of Eastern Ghats. Herbal Garden: Botanical Garden, EPTRI, Hyd. A representative of the farmers community felicitated Governor Sri Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare at Bhubaneswar in the function organized on the occasion of World Food Day Herbal Garden, Banjara Hills,Hyd. Herbal garden has been established in Hyderabad by ENVIS for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. Germplasm from Eastern Ghats has been collected and planted. 7

EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter Dear Sir / Madam, ENVIS Centre on Ecology of Eastern Ghats established by Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India facilitates the services of collecting and disseminating information related to Ecological / Environmental issues of Eastern Ghats like Biological, Physical, Socio-Economic environments, Information systems, Programs and Policies. In this connection the experts, professors, scientists, researchers, academicians etc., are requested to send their professional details in the prescribed proforma for inclusion in the Expert Database at earliest by e-mail or post to ENVIS Coordinator eptri@envis.nic.in or envirorazia@gmail.com or address cited hereunder. Name :... Organisation :... Designation :... Area of Specialisation :... Address :......City :... State :...Country :...Pin :... Phone :...Fax :... E-mail :... Current research area :... Collaborative institutes/ Scientists :... Publications relating to Eastern Ghats : Articles :... Reports :... Books :... Expert Database form Any other relevant information :... Names / Contact E-mail of Experts from whom we can seek data... I herewith submit the above details for inclusion of my name in your Expert Database. I am also sending a copy of my biodata for records. Signature From: ENVIS Centre on Eastern Ghats, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute,(EPTRI) 91/4, Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500 032, A.P., India Ph.:+91-040- 23001241, 23001242, 23006472 Fax No: +40-23000361, URL http://envis-eptri.ap.nic.in To Book-Post Sri............... Pin:... 8