Sacred Groves of India

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India's sacred groves, plants, animals, seeds and waterbodies represent a unique blend of nature conservation and cultural traditions.

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Seeds are closely connected with culture. Traditional agriculture in India is an advanced form of food production which came into being by an understanding of nature. Farmers chose crop varieties depending on soil and water availability. Traditional agriculture ensured food security and preserved genetic diversity.

Women play a major role in conserving seeds locally. They decide on the amount and variety of seeds to be preserved, and preservation methods; when change is required and when the seed has to be borrowed or exchanged; and conservation and propagation of the seeds. On the day of sowing, women keep all the seeds meant for sowing before the house deity and worship them. (This is not done for modern High Yielding Varieties).  Before sowing begins, women worship the draft animals, the plough and other equipments used in sowing.

Seeds play an important role in many Indian rituals, ceremonies and festivals which celebrate the cycle of birth, life and death. The traditional practice of seed storage has been a basis for Indian farming that itself is a way of life. Seeds are the symbol of fertility, eternity and sustenance in India and a key to safeguarding India’s biodiversity.

In India, seeds in general and navdanya (nine seeds) in particular, symbolize the protection of biological and cultural diversity. Conserving seeds is conserving biodiversity, conserving knowledge of the seed and its utilization, and conserving culture and sustainability.

Sacred Seeds of India:

1. Wheat – Associated with the Sun (Aditya)
2. Bengal gram – Associated with Jupiter
3. Green gram – Associated with Budha (Mercury) and which stimulates intelligence
4. Chickpea – Associated with Mangal (Mars)
5. White bean – Associated with Shukra (Venus)          
6. Black sesame – Associated with Shani (Saturn)
7. Black Gram – Associated with Rahu
8. Horse Gram – Associated with Ketu
9. Rice – Associated with Goddess Annapoorani and Goddess Lakshmi
10. Rudraksha – Associated with God Shiva

The CPREEC EIACP Centre on Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India, a Centre of Excellence under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India, has been documenting and creating awareness on sacred seeds for more than three decades.

For further information please visit https://ecoheritage.cpreec.org/

By recognizing the divinity in animals, Indian traditions give them an equal position unsurpassed by any other tradition. Many animal species have been traditionally protected and continue to be conserved in many parts of our country.

Animals have been traditionally considered sacred for the following reasons:

• Some animals are worshipped as deities themselves. For example, Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, and Hanuman, the monkey God.  
• Many animals are considered as vehicles (vahanas) of the deities and hence developed sanctity. For example, Garuda (Brahminy Kite), the vahana of Lord Vishnu, and Nandi (Bull), the vehicle of Lord Shiva.     
• Animals have also been regarded as the abode (either temporary or permanent) of the souls of the dead. Sometimes, even as the actual soul of the dead. For example, Crow and Dog. The sanctity of an animal may also be based on their economic value. For example, the water buffalo is venerated by Todas – a small pastoral vegetarian tribe of the Nilgiris – who rely on the animal for milk.   
• By deifying animals, Indian culture recognised that the same divine soul that lived in humans also lived in animals. Further, the divinity protected the animal from exploitation, hunting and cruelty. It was a uniquely Indian way of providing protection to animals and birds. 

The CPREEC EIACP Centre on Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India, a Centre of Excellence under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India, has been documenting and creating awareness on sacred animals for more than three decades.

For more information please visit https://ecoheritage.cpreec.org/

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