Sacred Groves in India: A Scoping Review
Main Article Content
Abstract
Sacred groves—forest patches protected through Indigenous belief systems and ritual
practices—have played a pivotal role in India’s ecological stewardship for centuries. This paper
presents a qualitative review of scholarly literature on sacred groves across India, integrating
historical and sociocultural perspectives. Through content analysis, the study highlights the
evolution of sacred groves from Vedic textual references to present-day Indigenous and
community governance frameworks. Key findings relate to Traditional Ecological Knowledge
(TEK), caste and gender roles in ritual ecology, and the legal invisibility of sacred groves under
colonial and postcolonial forest policies. Regional documentation, from Kerala’s Kavu and
Odisha’s Sarna forests to West Bengal’s community-managed patches, illustrates the
embeddedness of TEK within ritual landscapes. The analysis reveals a growing but still niche
research domain, with themes centred on religion, biodiversity, forest policy, and cultural
identity. The regional focus remains concentrated in southern and eastern India, while significant
gaps persist in pan-Indian documentation and policy integration. The paper argues for
recognising sacred groves as Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) and
embedding them within national and global conservation frameworks. The conclusion reflects
on the global relevance of India's sacred groves and outlines pathways for future interdisciplinary
inquiry.
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References
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