The sacred grove of the Manikavu Sree Mahadeva temple in Wayanad under the Malabar Devaswom Board has set a model in transforming barren land into a ‘forest’ with the addition of rare endemic and threatened (RET) plant species of the Western Ghats.
The model has been set up by the temple authorities with the support of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), the Social Forestry and Soil Conservation departments and the Meenangadi grama panchayat.
More than 29 acres of land are now under the canopy of nearly 4,000 plants that belong to more than 50 species.
“The temple is known for its biodiversity as it lies on the lap of lush green woods. Water flows perennially on the deity from a stream through a stone channel which is a major attraction of the temple,” says V.K. Unnikrishnan, manager of the temple.
A massive destruction of bamboo groves following a gregarious blooming of the plant in the district around 15 years ago blighted the groves on the temple premises. Soon, invasive species of plants such as lantana and eupatorium spread on the vacant plot, says Mr. Unnikrishnan.
Later, the authorities gave the land to farmers on rent for cultivation of short-term crops, including ginger, elephant foot yam and cassava. It led to soil erosion and gradually affected the perennial water flow on the deity.
When the temple authorities were trying to find a way to restore the lost biodiversity and water flow, MSSRF authorities agreed to plant the RET species of plants such as Vateria indica, Vateria macrocarpa, Calophyllum inophyllum, Hopea parviflora, Hopea ponga, Stereospermum colais, Butea monosperma, Syzigium travanvoricum and Kingiodendron pinnatum as well as bamboo saplings on four acres of land on an experimental basis. It turned out to be a huge success and the foundation set up a medicinal plants garden and a tree arboretum.
Meanwhile, the Social Forestry department also planted saplings of various species of trees and seedlings of bamboo in the remaining area under the sacred grove conservation project of the department.
Later, Meenangadi grama panchayat authorities undertook the conservation of the plants by utilising the services of workers under the MGNREGS as part of its carbon-neutral project. It also executed soil conservation activities such as constructing water percolation pits, earthen bunds and staggered trenches with the technical support of the Soil Conservation department.
“The sacred grove has transformed into a miniature forest now. The RET plants are in their maturity stage and some of them have started blooming,” says Joseph John, scientist, MSSRF.
The number of birds and butterflies has also increased there. Close to 70 species of butterflies of the 178 species of butterflies were reported in the area. The organic carbon content of the soil has been enhanced and there is a visible increase in the number of earthworms in the soil, he says.
Mr. Unnikrishnan says the availability of water in the region has also gone up considerably. The newly developed piece of forest land is also attracting students from various educational institutions and researchers, he added.
Visitors also see the remarkable difference. “When I visited the temple around 25 years ago with my parents, the surroundings were similar to a miniature forest. But the gregarious blossoming of bamboo groves in the area turned it into a barren land,” says V.B. Vinayakan, a school teacher at Ambalavayal. “However, it is happy to see that the greenery of the area has been restored,” he adds.
