India has a rich tradition of nature conservation as well as a vigorous official program of nature reserves developed over the last 40 years. Sacred groves are forest patches conserved by the local people intertwined with their socio-cultural and religious practices. These groves harbour rich biodiversity and play a significant role in the conservation of biodiversity. Indigenous cultural and rituals practices of the local people in sacred groves serve as a tool for conserving biodiversity. Sacred groves are distributed over a wide ecosystem and help in conservation of rare and endemic species. Various indigenous communities all over the world lived in harmony with nature and thus conserved biodiversity. In the course of time, science and technology developed and industries were established and expanded to meet the increasing demands of the people and to take care of various developmental activities. Over increasing population and growth of infrastructural facilities has resulted in the decline of sacred groves. Furthermore, habitat alternation, overexploitation, pollution and introduction of exotic species also threatened the global biological resources. Modernization and commercialization of agriculture in order to increase productivity are the cause of disappearing traditional knowledge among the people. There is strong need to initiate people’s participation, training for promoting the indigenous traditional knowledge and conserve the biodiversity through this traditional knowledge. Well-preserved sacred groves are storehouses of valuable medicinal and other plants having high economic value, and serve as a refuge to threatened species.
Shirsingi: This is a one of most famous sacred grove in Kolhapur. There is a one of the big tree on Kolhapur spread among 1.75 acre area. This sacred groves area also shoot in famous marathi movie ‘Jogva’.
Plateau Pernoli is a Village in Ajara Taluka, Its located 14.8 km distance from its Taluka Main Town Ajara. Pernoli Plateau is famous for flora and fauna for September to November season. Also there is a sacred groves known as a ‘Kurkundeshwar’.