Spatial transformation and protection of the sacred grove Iringole kavu, Kerala/

Abstract

There are thousands of sacred groves that are either in their natural condition, which is entirely covered in trees, or those that have evolved from their basic state and now house their deities in modest shrines. Nature has always been a mysterious force. Mother goddess deities in various guises are frequently linked to sacred groves. The people's faith in the goddesses' ability to both bless and curse mankind gave rise to this mother goddess cult worship. Through a variety of rites and ritualistic performances connected to the kaavus, the information obtained about nature through observations can be seen. Indigenous communities maintain their close connection to their land through the sacred nature of their natural and cultural resources. While the nature and severity of threats and pressures are frequently regional and even grove-specific, sacred groves have started to deteriorate across the nation over the past three decades in terms of both cultural and biological integrity. One of the biggest risks to Kerala's sacred groves' survival is the social shift that has occurred. The severity of these dangers differs from one place to another and from one type of grove to another. Commercial forestry, development initiatives, the decline of joint family structures, sanskritization, pilgrimage and tourism, the removal of biomass, encroachment, disintegration, socio-cultural factors, natural disasters, etc. are some of the significant challenges to sacred groves. This thesis deals with preparation of conservation strategies for the protection of sacred grove known as Iringole kavu. From the study we can understand the need for a biodiversity protection cell which will also take into consideration the cultural and ritualistic significance of the sacred grove and that the conservation strategies should be grove-centric