From
Himachal Pradesh to
Tamil Nadu; from Gujarat
to Manipur the entire
landscape of India
is full of forests
and innumerable sacred
groves protected and
preserved for centuries
by the local communities.
It is only in the
recent times that
an impending crisis
is looming large over
their very existence.
The wide scale urbanization
and resulting deforestation
is creating havoc
to the intricate ecological
balance and is uprooting
local cultures and
traditions at a fast
face.
Very
few people are aware
of the fact that
Braj – the
land of Lord Krishna
comprises of over
137 sacred groves
associated with
His various pastimes.
In fact the names
of a large number
of villages of Braj
carry the suffix
‘van’
which indicate their
being forests for
e.g. – Belvan,
Mahavan, Vrindavan
and so on.
Gahvarvan,
Barsana
All
these groves
find mention
in the scripture
and are associated
with one or
the other
leelas of
the divine
couple. Several
temples and
tanks are
present in
these groves
which were
built in remembrance
of the particular
pastime. The
religious
and spiritual
importance
has been so
intense that
even today
these groves
are frequented
by millions
of devotees
from all over
the world.
The
size of these groves
varies from 5 acres
to 500 acres. The
traces of the old
grandeur can still
be seen at many places
where beautiful Kadamb
and Tamaal trees catch
the eyes of the beholders.
The exotic beauty
of Darshan van, the
picturesque settings
of various Kadamb
khandis (groves) reinvigorates
the beauty of Braj.
