Q1.
Given below are the names of a few sacred groves in a few regional languages of India. Can you add to this?
Answer
Yes. First, the nine names the book prints, so you have them in one place:
| Language / State | Name for a sacred grove |
|---|---|
| Malayalam | kāvu |
| Tamil | kovilkādu |
| Kannada | devare kādu |
| Marathi | devarāī |
| Khasi (Meghalaya) | khlaw kyntang |
| Hindi (Himachal Pradesh) | dev van |
| Jharkhand | sarnā |
| Chhattisgarh | devgudi |
| Rajasthan | oraṇ |
Now the three empty rows. Names used elsewhere in India include:
| Language / Region | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan (Bishnoi and other communities) | kenkri, jogmāyā | Groves attached to a local deity, protected along with their blackbuck and khejri trees |
| Uttarakhand / Kumaon | devbhūmi van, bugyāl shrines | Forests and high meadows attached to a village deity |
| Manipur (Meitei) | umanglai or umang lai | ‘Forest deity' groves in and around villages |
| Kerala (Kodagu border, Kurumba) | sarpakāvu | A serpent grove, usually in a corner of the family land |
| Karnataka (Kodagu) | devarakādu, nāgabana | Hundreds still survive in Kodagu district alone |
| Maharashtra (Konkan) | devrāī, rāī | Often on a stream's source, protecting the water supply |
| Odisha | jāhera, thākurammā jungle | Santal and other communities' grove shrines |
| Meghalaya (Khasi) | law kyntang, law lyngdoh | Mawphlang (Fig. 8.14) is the best known |
How to complete this yourself: the surest way is to ask. Find out (1) what the forest or clump of old trees near your village is called in your own language, (2) which deity it belongs to, and (3) what people are not allowed to do there — usually cutting wood, hunting, or even carrying away a dry twig. Write the local name in the empty row and note the rule beside it.
Why so many different words: because sacred groves were never created by a government order. Each community protected its own patch of forest in its own language and in the name of its own deity. The names differ; the idea — this forest belongs to the deity, so no one may harm it — is remarkably the same from Meghalaya to Kerala.