U. SUDHAKAR REDDY Sacred groves which used to grow endangered species of plants in and around temples, dargahs and churches are being plundered by greedy realtors to make a fast buck.
The “Gardens of the Gods” are being ruthlessly uprooted and destroyed. Traditional ‘sacred groves’ at places of worship which used to grow endangered species of plants, are now endangered themselves.
Groves that date back hundreds of years, are vanishing across Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and other urban and semi urban areas. With rampant and unauthorised felling of trees, there is no safety in rural areas either. Realtors and land grabbers have moved with their usual well-oiled efficiency to appropriate all the land they can, while a complacent government has not yet got around to notifying the sacred groves as protected areas under the Biodiversity Act. The groves are encroached on and trees cut down to allow for buildings and roads in their place. Sacred groves are gardens, spread across a few acres of land, in and around temples, dargahs and church premises. Several varieties of plants and trees grow here which are also worshipped along with the deities.
There are around 750 listed sacred groves, including six in Hyderabad and 10 in Ranga Reddy. With buildings and other construction work underway, many of these precious groves have already been destroyed.
The Osmania University campus, Nowbath Pahad near Secretariat, the Moula Ali Dargah, Babasharfuddin Pahada near Mir Alam Tank, Guruvayur temple in Lala Bazaar are the sacred groves in the city.
The endowments department silently watches as groves are vanishing before their eyes. Groves situated in private land and around temples owned by individuals and trusts are the worst affected.
Experts warn that the loss of sacred groves outside forest areas is leading to ecological imbalances, depletion of water levels and erosion of lung space.
The sacred grove in the area around the Temple Alwal no longer exists. A new temple was constructed and the grove disappeared as buildings came up around the temple.
According to the AP forest department, the Vaishnava temple is said to be about 2,000 years old and had a very old ficus tree that was listed during the 1996 census.
Mr Vamsi Krishna, the priest of the temple says, “The ficus trees was removed when we constructed the new temple.” The Thumbura Theertham grove in the forest areas of Chittoor is also under threat from red sanders smugglers and poachers. The groves in Pandavulamitta near Peddapurma in East Godavari are impacted by quarrying in the vicinity. The AP forest department environment cell chief conservator of forests, Mr P Raghuveer, said, “Sacred groves are patches of natural vegetation situated mostly around mandirs where people spend some time after their prayers. They are the lungs of towns and villages. Those situated inside reserve forests or notified sanctuaries and national parks are well protected. But many are situated in non-forest lands. Not much has been done on this front, other than in places like Kotappakonda in Guntur which has been converted into an ecopark by the tourist department.” Groves around burial or cremation grounds are also deteriorating.
Mr Raghuveer said, “We have to revive the whole process by giving these sacred groves a special status. They can be protected by notifying them under the Section 37 of the AP Biodiversity Act. Once notified, the sacred groves can’t be destroyed and they will become the property of the community.” Closer to the city, sacred groves can be found at the Majeedpur Venkateswara Temple on the Keesragutta hill. The landmark to look for is the Shamirpet lake.
The Rayalseema region has the maximum number of sacred groves. Kurnool has 107 sacred groves,Chittoor 102 and Kadapa has 66 groves.
Nellore also has 88 sacred groves. The groves provide an ideal habitat for a wide variety of birds. AP Biodiversity board chairman, Dr R. Hampaiah says, “These groves have several medicinal plants and herbs collected by locals for daily use.
Nobody was allowed even to collect firewood from the groves. Limited human interference allowed flora and fauna to flourish in these mini ecosystems.
They present the last refuge of endemic species of a geographic region.”
The “Gardens of the Gods” are being ruthlessly uprooted and destroyed. Traditional ‘sacred groves’ at places of worship which used to grow endangered species of plants, are now endangered themselves.
Groves that date back hundreds of years, are vanishing across Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and other urban and semi urban areas. With rampant and unauthorised felling of trees, there is no safety in rural areas either. Realtors and land grabbers have moved with their usual well-oiled efficiency to appropriate all the land they can, while a complacent government has not yet got around to notifying the sacred groves as protected areas under the Biodiversity Act. The groves are encroached on and trees cut down to allow for buildings and roads in their place. Sacred groves are gardens, spread across a few acres of land, in and around temples, dargahs and church premises. Several varieties of plants and trees grow here which are also worshipped along with the deities.
There are around 750 listed sacred groves, including six in Hyderabad and 10 in Ranga Reddy. With buildings and other construction work underway, many of these precious groves have already been destroyed.
The Osmania University campus, Nowbath Pahad near Secretariat, the Moula Ali Dargah, Babasharfuddin Pahada near Mir Alam Tank, Guruvayur temple in Lala Bazaar are the sacred groves in the city.
The endowments department silently watches as groves are vanishing before their eyes. Groves situated in private land and around temples owned by individuals and trusts are the worst affected.
Experts warn that the loss of sacred groves outside forest areas is leading to ecological imbalances, depletion of water levels and erosion of lung space.
The sacred grove in the area around the Temple Alwal no longer exists. A new temple was constructed and the grove disappeared as buildings came up around the temple.
According to the AP forest department, the Vaishnava temple is said to be about 2,000 years old and had a very old ficus tree that was listed during the 1996 census.
Mr Vamsi Krishna, the priest of the temple says, “The ficus trees was removed when we constructed the new temple.” The Thumbura Theertham grove in the forest areas of Chittoor is also under threat from red sanders smugglers and poachers. The groves in Pandavulamitta near Peddapurma in East Godavari are impacted by quarrying in the vicinity. The AP forest department environment cell chief conservator of forests, Mr P Raghuveer, said, “Sacred groves are patches of natural vegetation situated mostly around mandirs where people spend some time after their prayers. They are the lungs of towns and villages. Those situated inside reserve forests or notified sanctuaries and national parks are well protected. But many are situated in non-forest lands. Not much has been done on this front, other than in places like Kotappakonda in Guntur which has been converted into an ecopark by the tourist department.” Groves around burial or cremation grounds are also deteriorating.
Mr Raghuveer said, “We have to revive the whole process by giving these sacred groves a special status. They can be protected by notifying them under the Section 37 of the AP Biodiversity Act. Once notified, the sacred groves can’t be destroyed and they will become the property of the community.” Closer to the city, sacred groves can be found at the Majeedpur Venkateswara Temple on the Keesragutta hill. The landmark to look for is the Shamirpet lake.
The Rayalseema region has the maximum number of sacred groves. Kurnool has 107 sacred groves,Chittoor 102 and Kadapa has 66 groves.
Nellore also has 88 sacred groves. The groves provide an ideal habitat for a wide variety of birds. AP Biodiversity board chairman, Dr R. Hampaiah says, “These groves have several medicinal plants and herbs collected by locals for daily use.
Nobody was allowed even to collect firewood from the groves. Limited human interference allowed flora and fauna to flourish in these mini ecosystems.
They present the last refuge of endemic species of a geographic region.”
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