Sacred Ecology: Rivers, Mountains and Groves

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 8: How the Land Becomes Sacred · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 8.3

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Tīrthas usually lie by a river or lake, in a forest or on a mountain, so the landscape itself is seen as sacred space, puṇyakṣhetra. Many Hindu, folk and tribal traditions see a divine presence in all of nature, and the Earth herself as Bhūdevī, Mother Earth. Rivers have been worshipped since Vedic times: the nadīstuti sūkta of the Ṛigveda praises 19 rivers, and rituals today still invoke the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvatī, Narmada, Sindhu and Kāveri. At Prayagraj, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible Sarasvatī, the Kumbh Mela drew an estimated 660 million people in 2025; UNESCO lists it as intangible world heritage.

Mountains, rising towards the sky, are seen as gateways from earth to heaven: Mount Kailash, Vaishno Devi, Tiruvannamalai and the Tirumala hills draw pilgrims who once climbed long trails. The Niyam Dongar hill in Odisha is sacred to the Dongria Khond, who believe it is the home of Niyam Raja and forbid cutting its trees; the Todas of the Nilgiris hold peaks, plants, wetlands and even stones sacred; Sikkim's government has protected sacred mountains, caves, lakes and hot springs.

The peepul (Ficus religiosa, the "sacred fig") is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, and even appears on a Mohenjo-daro seal; the Bodh Gaya tree descends from the one under which the Buddha gained enlightenment. Many communities protected sacred groves, forests regarded as homes of deities: kāvu in Malayalam, devarāī in Marathi, khlaw kyntang in Khasi, sarnā in Jharkhand, oraṇ in Rajasthan. Their sacred status shelters rich biodiversity and water bodies; in one Tamil Nadu grove, protected fruit bats pollinate flowers and spread seeds. Sadly, many groves are shrinking as land is taken for farms and industry.

Explore: what kind of sacred nature?

1. Sort each one.

Remember

• Rivers, confluences, mountains and trees are revered; the Earth is Bhūdevī, Mother Earth.
• Sacred groves and sacred hills have protected biodiversity, though many are now under threat.

Quick check

Why are sacred groves important for nature?

1. they protect biodiversity and water because people won't harm them
2. they are cut for timber
3. they have no animals
4. they cause floods

Think about it

How could seeing a river as sacred help protect it?

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.