Sacred groves

Over time, many village and tribal communities chose to protect some forests from hunting, tree cutting and mining. They saw these forests as homes of gods, like Ryngkew or Basa in Meghalaya. In English these are called sacred groves.

Because they're sacred, they now shelter huge biodiversity (many kinds of plants and animals). Many also hold small ponds or springs, so they help save water.

Every region has its own name for them:

Nine names, one idea!

India had many thousands of sacred groves. Sadly the number is shrinking, as people take over the land for farming or industry. But many are still protected.

A lovely example from Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu): a local record says the grove's gods protect fruit bats, which are sacred; seeing one is lucky. And bats pollinate flowers and spread seeds! Protect the bat, and the forest keeps renewing itself. God, nature and people in harmony.

Pilgrims also met traders on the way. Both gained: pilgrims needed things, and traders sold them. So pilgrim routes and trade routes often overlapped. Some traders were pilgrims too, selling goods while visiting shrines.

Remember the old roads? Uttarapatha linked the north-west to the east; Dakṣhiṇāpatha ran from Kaushāmbī through Ujjayinī (Ujjain) to Pratiṣhṭhāna (Paithan). They carried shells, pearls, coins, gold, diamonds, cotton, spices and sandalwood. Put the pilgrimage map over the trade map, and the lines match!