VALPOI:
Senior environmentalist, writer and educator Rajendra Kerkarsaid sacred groves are not merely clusters of trees but “temples of nature”that preserve biodiversity, traditional knowledge, cultural practices and therelationship between communities and the environment.
He was speaking at a lecture on ‘Sacred Groves of Goa –Cultural Heritage, Traditional Knowledge and Ecological Practices’ held atGovernment Higher Secondary School, Valpoi. The programme was organised by theGoa Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA),in collaboration with the Vivekanand Archaeological Study Circle, Keri-Sattari.
Kerkar highlighted Sattari’s rich tradition of sacredgroves, referring to sites including Nirankarchi Rai at Bambar, Holiyechi Raiat Karanjol, Devachi Rai at Koparde, Ajoba Chi Rai at Keri and Karalyachi Raiat Karanjol.
He particularly highlighted Ajoba Chi Rai at Keri, wheregenerations of villagers have protected the grove. He said the vegetationprovides habitat for wildlife, supports groundwater recharge, reduces soilerosion and helps conserve native plant species.
Referring to Karanjol’s sacred grove, he said around 27hectares have been preserved through community traditions, long before modernenvironmental laws.
Kerkar said sacred groves combine nature, faith, folkculture and traditional ecological knowledge. He called for their systematicdocumentation and conservation with the participation of communities, schools,panchayats and government agencies.
School Principal Laxmi Sukhtankar urged students to becomepart of environmental solutions, while IGNCA Goa Regional Centre Director DrArun Kumar Reddy outlined the objectives of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan-2026.
