Gurgaon: Haryana’s initiative to conserve sacred groves has gained momentum, with six districts proposing 31 sites for recognition under the state’s Pavitr Upvan plan, announced in the 2026-27 Budget. The programme aims to formally recognise forests and woodland patches preserved for generations through religious belief, cultural tradition and community stewardship.Mahendragarh leads the list with 21 sites — more than the other five districts combined. Its proposals include temples, samadhis, ashrams and mazars across villages such as Madnola, Pali, Paladi, Dhosi, Sehma, Garhi Mahasar and Kanwi, reflecting the district’s strong legacy of community-protected sacred landscapes.Gurgaon has put forward three sites — Mata Bhuvaneshwari Devi temple at Bhondsi, Bhakt Puranmal temple at Kasan, and Baba Bilasiya Dargah at Gairatpur Bass. Officials have documented each for its religious significance, ecological value and history of traditional protection.Faridabad’s two nominations include Mangar Bani, linked to Baba Gudariya Dass Maharaj and regarded as one of the last surviving patches of relatively undisturbed Aravali forest in the Delhi-NCR region, long shielded by customary bans on tree-felling and hunting. The second site is Narsingh Dham at Primala village.Palwal has also named two groves — 74-hectare Anajni Kund/Chameli Van at Bhulwana, tied to Lord Hanuman and 84 Kos Brij Yatra and Sati Temple at Hodal, said to have been built by Maharaja Surajmal and known for its annual fair and mature neem and peepal trees.Nuh’s two proposals, Nalhar Mahadev temple in Nalhar and Jhir forest in Jhir, are both linked to Shiva worship and span roughly three acres each. These have been flagged as forest patches sustained by local custom. Rewari has identified a single grove — Shiv Mandir Talab at Behrampur Bharangi village.This marks Haryana’s first comprehensive attempt to inventory its sacred groves. Forest divisions have been asked to record each site’s geographic coordinates, area, associated deity, ecological value, dominant vegetation, rituals and festivals, customary restrictions, panchayat resolutions, revenue status and recommendations from biodiversity management committees before any site is considered for notification.Documentation is still underway even as several districts have already submitted their lists. “We are compiling the data. We have received the details relating to biodiversity, local customs,” said KC Meena, Haryana principal chief conservator of forests.Environmentalists say the move could give overdue recognition to forests that have endured through faith rather than law. “Besides preserving native biodiversity, many of these groves also protect water bodies, provide habitat for wildlife and serve as repositories of traditional ecological knowledge,” said ecologist Sunil Harsana.Once notified as Pavitr Upvan, the sites will gain formal status while remaining under community management — pairing cultural heritage with biodiversity conservation.
