Sacred geography today

Sacred geography is not only Indian. Ancient Greece had sacred mountains and groves. Native Americans saw Nature as sacred.

The Maori, the first people of New Zealand, see the mountain Taranaki Maunga as their ancestor. After they asked many times, a law gave the mountain the rights and responsibilities of a person!

Community elders speak for the mountain (or a river) if it's threatened. A mountain that someone can speak for in court can't simply be mined or spoiled.

Now the chapter asks us a hard question. The Yamuna (north), the Mahanadi (east), the Kaveri (south) are all sacred rivers. So why are they so polluted? Are there sacred places near you that have been spoiled? Whose job is it to protect them?

The harmony between people and sacred geography kept Indian civilisation going for thousands of years and created values shared across the Subcontinent. Today it is under great strain.

Still, sacred geography matters today. When a river is used up until it nearly disappears, or a sacred mountain is threatened by 'development', people have spoken up to protect their environment, their gods and their values.

Now that sustainability (living without using up the Earth) is a worldwide problem, a way of thinking that sees land as sacred has a lot to offer.

The chapter ends bluntly: our sacred places are being polluted through neglect and not caring. It is our duty to protect our national heritage, as our Constitution reminds us.