Sacred Forests

                                              Sacred forests of Coastal Tamil Nadu, India A Sacred forest near Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu x Sacred groves or sacred forests are small/large forest patches, strictly protected on the traditional and religious backgrounds. Sacred groves are dedicated either to gods/animals or ancestral spirits which are governed largely by the local communities over years. The existence of sacred groves are reported across the world and in India, more than one-lakh groves have been reported. In recent times, the concept of sacred forests is gaining importance, owing to their rich biodiversity. Since, these places largely remain free from anthropogenic pressure, they are even quoted as the "repositories" of many endangered and threatened species. In Tamil Nadu, this concept is more prevalent in the coastal districts viz., Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Sivagangai, where more than 100 sacred groves are di