Sacred Groves and their Phyto Resources in the Blocks of Hirbandh, Taldangra, Khatra and Indpur, Bankura District, West Bengal

Abstract

Sacred groves (SGs) are small patches of native vegetation traditionally been protected on the grounds of religious faith. Moreover, these ‘botanical islands’ preserve rich floral diversity which includes many rare, endemic and important species of flora. The present survey was conducted in 66 sacred groves of Hirbandh (24), Taldangra (25), Khatra (14) and Indpur (3) in Bankura district. A taxonomic analysis of the Phyto resources from these sacred groves revealed 75 species belonging to 66 genera under 36 families. Hirbandh shows the maximum plant diversity with 56 species, followed by Taldangra (36), Khatra (32) and Indpur (13). Among these plants, 53.94% plant species are having Non-Timber Product (NTP) value, 52.63% are important to have medicinal value, 44.74% plants can be used as fuel wood. Moreover, plants produce edible products (34.22%) followed by plants with ritual & cultural value (21.05%) and plants with timber value (5.26%). Among the 75 plant species reported from these four blocks, only 2% species are very commonly (VC) distributed, whereas 38% rarely (R) available in these sacred groves. Such sacred grove is a tool to restore and save the remnants of these age old patches for present and future generations.