A Sacred Banyan Tree outside of Hampi. The stacked rocks in front of it bring good luck to your family. I’m unsure of what the trash tied to the root/branches does.
These two readings, “Sacred Groves and Conservation: The Comparative History of Traditional Reserves in the Mediterranean Area and in South India” and “Sacred Groves Around the Earth: An Overview” complement each other greatly because they focused broadly on sacred groves existing around the world. In doing so, they helped me to distinguish the sacred groves existing in the area I am studying from those around the world.
The variety of ways that humanity has related their existence to the sacred grove is impressive. In some cases, the trees were the main natural feature worshiped, but in others, such as the native Americans in the United States, all of nature is considered sacred. Even in the case of the singular sacred tree, the surrounding inhabitants benefit as well. The reasoning for the sacredness of the groves is another point of differentiation. In some cases, the trees are deities, ancestor spirits, animals of the wild, or even people identifying themselves with the trees. The groves were preserved to uphold differing functions such as to ensure a good harvest and rain, prevent disease, distinguish a landscape or landmark, or supply a rare commodity that honors a priest or king, etc. In modernity, groves of trees have stood as reminders of those who died or noted leaders. They also stand as rallying places for local people to demand power. From region to region and across time, the differences persist today.
While these differences exist, the importance for the global society of today is found in the commonalities. In all cases, weather the singular tree is worshiped, or the whole of nature, all species receive a similar sacred treatment that causes the preservation of an ecology. Preservation of a clean water source is also inherent in the sacred grove, because the vegetative mass conserves water, soaking it up during the wet periods and releasing it slowly in times of drought. Plato noticed this in the hills of Attica, his homeland, when the trees were cleared from the hills, the springs themselves dried up. Further, the organisms inside the sacred groves filter the water ensuring its clarity and health. The biodiversity of the sacred grove is one more commonality which persists even today, and especially in the region I am in where the groves are centers for endemic plants.
While many plants are endemic and rare, the groves themselves are rare and vulnerable. This is because of the way they evolved into these islands of refuge without the once far reached connection and support of a forest. As the groves use went from the hunters and gatherer society to the agricultural communities they became island refuges of the forest they were once a part because agriculture societies slashed and burned the forest to make room for their plots.
Despite their vulnerability, in today’s societies, they still exist. According to Marglin and Mishra (1993) “The network of sacred groves in such countries as India has since time immemorial been the locus and symbol of a way of life in which humans are embedded in nature and in which the highest levels of biological diversity are found where humans interact with nature.”
As an architect studying the way we can design our surroundings to embrace nature, this intrigues me greatly. The way Indians in this region live teaches a lesson that we in America have yet to learn. It is a lesson about how humanity can live not only along side but intertwined with nature. But I still question if today’s global economy would support the individual sacred grove. If it is possible for humans to find importance in a grove of trees, even if they do not believe in a religious sacredness, but instead, in their ecological power to maintain a healthy environment.
Readings:
1) Hughes, Donald J. “Sacred Groves and Conservation: The Comparative History of Traditional Reserves in the Mediterranean Area and in South India.” Environment and History. By Subash Chandran M.D. Vol. 6. 2000. 169-86. Print.
2) Ramakrishnan, P. S., K. G. Saxena, and U. M. Chandrashekara. “Sacred Groves Around the Earth: An Overview.” Conserving the Sacred: for Biodiversity Management. Enfield, NH: Science, 1998. 69-85. Print.