Religion plays a great role in shaping our attitude towards the natural world.

Long before Environment

became the refrain of the global song at Stockholm and Rio, the ancient Indic heritage had already
provided a spacious spiritual home for the environmental ethos. The Hindu, Islam, Jain, Vedic and
Buddhist traditions established the principles of ecological harmony centuries ago - not because the
world was perceived as heading for an imminent environmental disaster or destruction, nor because of
any immediate utilitarian exigency, but through its quest for spiritual and physical symbiosis,
synthesized in a system of ethical awareness and moral responsibility.

Virtually all the countries of the world have rich traditions embedded in the ethics of protecting
nature. Many ancient cultures tell us how communities lived in harmony with nature, with a
tradition of reverence for the elements that constitute ecosytems, drawing their sustenance from
natural resources and at the same time protecting the environment that sustains them. Modern
man tends to look down upon indigenous people as primitive, backward and superstitious.
The worship of Mother Earth is a universal phenomenon in many indigenous cultures. There are
innumerable examples of festivals, rituals, songs, and myths that celebrate the gifts of Mother
Earth all over the world, revealing the intimate sense of togetherness and harmony that exists
between man and nature in tribal societies.
Indigenous people in many countries attribute supernatural powers to plants, animals, rivers,
oceans, mountains, the wind, sun and moon. Respect for nature is inherent in many religious
faiths. Many Hindu gods and goddesses are shown to use animals as mounts. Sacred groves or
sacred forests preserved with reverence have been part of Hindu and Buddhist culture. In
Christianity as well as in Islam, conservation of the environment is based on the. principle that
nature and its components are created by God, and humans are entrusted with the
responsibility of protecting it. Many religions and moral philosophies have professed the unity of
all life on earth and the obligation of human beings to care for them.
Living in harmony with Nature has been an integral part of Indian culture. This has been
abundantly reflected in a variety of traditional practices, religious beliefs, rituals, folklore, arts
and crafts, and in the daily lives of the Indian people from time immemorial. The present day
global concerns for sustainable development and conservation of natural resources spanning
the two decades between the Stockholm Conference of Environment in 1992 and the United
Nations Conference on Human Environment and Development (Earth Summit) at Rio de
Janeiro in 1992 are of recent origin in comparison to the long tradition and cultural ethos of
nature conservation in India.
For the people of India, environmental conservation is not a new concept. Historically, the
protection of nature and wildlife was an ardent article of faith, reflected in the daily lives of
people, enshrined in myths, folklore, religion, arts, and culture. Some of the fundamental
principles of ecology-the interrelationship and interdependence of all life-were conceptualized in
the Indian ethos and reflected in the ancient scriptural text, the Isopanishad, over 2000 years
ago. It says, 'This universe is the creation of the Supreme Power meant for the benefit of all his
creation. Each individual life-form must, therefore, learn to enjoy its benefits by forming a part of
the system in close relation with other species. Let not anyone species encroach upon the
other's rights.'
SACRED GROVES
One of the finest examples of traditional practices in India based on religious faith which has
made a profound contribution to nature conservation has been the maintenance of certain
patches of land or forests as "sacred groves' dedicated to a deity or a village God, protected,
and worshipped. These are found all over India, and abundantly along the Western Ghats, the
west coast, and in several parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu amd Maharashtra. In Kerala
there are hundreds of small jungles dedicated to snakes (Sarpakavu, Sarpa meaning
snake, kavu meaning jungle). There are also Ayyappan kavus dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, the
most famous of which, visited by millions of devotees every year, being the sacred hill of
Sabarimala with an Ayyappan temple.

According to Madhav Gadgil (1985):

"Sacred groves ranged in extent from fifty hectares or more to a few hundred

square metres. Where the network. of sacred groves has remained intact till

recent times, as in the South Kanara district of the west coast, one can see

that they formed island of climax vegetation at densities of 2 to 3 per. sq. km,

ranging in size from a small clump to a hectare or more, and originally

covering perhaps 5 per cent of the land area. This must have been a very

effective way of preserving tropical biological diversity, for we are still

discovering new species of plants which have disappeared from everywhere

else, in these sacred groves."

In spite of the depletion of forests in many parts of India, some sacred groves

still remain intact as oases in deserts, conserving rich biological diversity. The

maintenance of sacred groves can thus he considered to be an outstanding

example of a traditional practice that has contributed to forest conservation,

albeit in a small measure. There are also examples of sacred ponds attached
to temples in many parts of India. Some of these have been responsible for

the protection of certain endangered species of turtles, crocodiles, and the

rare fresh water sponge.

SACRED PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Many plants and animals have from historcial times been considered sacred

in India by various communities. The most outstanding examples are the

peepal tree (Ficus religiosa). The banyan tree (Ficus 'bengelensiss, and

Khejdi tree (Prosopis cineraria), and these have been traditionally revered

and therefore never cut. There are a number of other trees and plants

considered sacred and grown in temple premises and are protected in other

localities. More than a hundred such species of trees/plants in India are

considered sacred by various communities and religious faiths. These include

the sandalwood tree, beetlenut, palm, neem, coconut palm,

juniper, champa, lotus, tulsi, pepper, etc. Such traditional cultural attitudes,

though based on religious faith, have made significant contribution in the

protection and propagation of various species of trees and plants in India.

Many animals are considered sacred and worshipped by several Hindu and

other communities, and have thus received protection for centuries. The

peafowl, sacred to lord Karttikeya is never hunted, the blue rock pigeon is
considered sacred to Saint Hazrat Shah lalal and is protected in the Bengal

region. Even rodents are considered sacred and are allowed to breed in the

famous temple of goddess Karnimata in Rajasthan. The tiger and the cobra,

though greatly feared, are afforded protection on religious grounds. 

The love for nature has been handed down the ages, becoming an integral

part of the Indian psyche. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the

martyrdom of the Bishnois in Khejarli village in Rajasthan. In 1730 AD the

then ruler of a native state had ordered the khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees to

be cut in order to bake lime for the construction of a fort. This sparked off a

strong collective protest from the local Bishnoi community. 363 men and

women, young and old, one after the other, placed their heads against the

trees to prevent them being cut and were axed along with the trees. The ruler

of the state was so moved by this sacrifice that he sought pardon from the

people and issued an order that no green trees should in future be cut in the

Bishnoi village. This happened over two centuries ago when the world had

scarcely become conscious of ecological consequences of the reckless felling

of trees. This legend is now celebrated by singers on stage and in the streets

during the Tree Festival. (Man Mohan Singh,1990).

This long tradition and belief in the conservation of nature is also vividly alive
in contemporary times. One of the most successful conservation movements

in India today is the Chipko movement spearheaded by the womenfolk of

Gopeswar village in Garhwal in the Himalaya. Commercial felling of trees was

effectively stopped by them by hugging the trees when lumbermen arrived to

cut them. This simple yet effective action eventually saved 12,000 sq.km. of a

sensitive water catchment area. There was a similar Apiko movement in the

southern state of Karnataka.

As a marker of identity that transcends national borders, religion influences many

environmentally relevant behaviors. Thus, understanding its role is key to tackling
environmental challenges that are fundamentally transnational.