Under the 35th series of its online exhibition by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, today presented the “Devrai” Sacred Groves of Maharashtra situated in the Sacred Groves Open Air Exhibition of Manav Sangrahalaya has been presented online with its basic information and photographs and videos.
About this exhibition, Praveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that – In Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg Districts of Maharashtra, each village has at least one Sacred Groves. With a few exceptions of privately owned Sacred Groves of Devraies, lands of all the groves belong to the revenue department. However, it is handed over to respective village panchayats for their management and administration.
The traditional decision making body of village, consisting of ‘Mankaries and Gaokars’, is still very strong, specially in taking decision on social-religious matters. Extraction of timber or any other forest produces from Devrai is strictly prohibited for personal use.
About the Devrai Sacred Groves, Dheer Singh, Horticulture Officer told that – The villagers believe that the entire property within the sacred groves belongs to the deity. These groves harbor many important and rare plant species, specially the medicinal plants from Western Ghats, which are hardly found elsewhere are being lost otherwise as a result of deforestation or over-exploitation.
Many of these Devraies have giant species of Antiaristoxicaria, Terminaliabellerica and Tetramelesnudiflora as well as lianas like Entada. Population of the species like Antiaristoxicaria, Sageraealaurifolia, Holigarnaarnottiana, Anamirtacocculus, Buteaparviflora and many species of Amorphophyllus, etc are now restricted only to the groves.
Apart from functioning as repositories of the natural wealth, these groves play an important role in the socio-cultural life of these villages and from an integral part of it. These groves provide a place for village gatherings during festivals, as well as at the time of decision-making with respect to community concerns, such as, beginning of agricultural or developmental activities. In many villages a forest patch is specially preserved as cremation or burial ground.