Across the Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan, are large swathes of land that bear a single species of tree: kair (Capparis decidua), jaal (Salvadora oleoides) or bordi (Ziziphus nummularia). These are orans, or groves that are sacred to a few surrounding villages. No one is allowed to chop a single branch of these trees, no one will till land here. There is usually a temple in the vicinity and the whole area is considered hallowed ground. There are very few officially notified orans. The few that are not recognised as such, have now been peppered with modern ‘green structures’ – massive windmills – churning the air to produce much of Rajasthan’s carbon credits. This is an oran of bordi, or jhad baer, trees, adjacent to a water harvesting structure.Photograph: Arati Kumar-Rao

Sacred Groves

by Team Nature inFocus

Across the Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan, are large swathes of land that bear a single species of tree: kair (Capparis decidua), jaal (Salvadora oleoides) or bordi (Ziziphus nummularia). These are orans, or groves that are sacred to a few surrounding villages. No one is allowed to chop a single branch of these trees, no one will till land here. There is usually a temple in the vicinity and the whole area is considered hallowed ground. There are very few officially notified orans. The few that are not recognised as such, have now been peppered with modern ‘green structures’ – massive windmills – churning the air to produce much of Rajasthan’s carbon credits. This is an oran of bordi, or jhad baer, trees, adjacent to a water harvesting structure.

Photograph: Arati Kumar-Rao