COPORDEM SATARI SACRED GROVE IN NEED OF PROTECTION

COPORDEM: Three kilometres from Valpoi town in Satari taluka lies Copordem, a village famed for the sacred grove tradition known locally as devachi rai. A tradition of community conservation carried out in the name of the local deity, sacred groves were once common to almost all villages in Satari.

They inevitably rendered protection to a variety of flora and fauna. Today, changed lifestyles and commitments have weakened the tradition and Copordem's devachi rai has been no exception.  Formerly spread across 37,620 sq m of government land in survey No. 2/1, much of the sacred grove today stands encroached upon for cashew plantations and agriculture, says Dinesh Sawant.

The local youngster is part of the Brahmani Devrai Sanvardhan Mandal, a group formed six years ago as an initiative of one of Goa's pioneer environmentalists, the Ponda-based Kamalakar Sadhale.  Comprising members of the Brahmani Mahamaya temple committee and local youth clubs, the group was formed to promote the tradition of community conservation and in turn to protect sacred groves.

Says Sawant: "There is a dire need to protect devachi rai for posterity." There's plenty of reason why. For starters the sacred grove is the best example of the tradition which saw uneducated villagers protect their environment.

Among its variety of flora are towering trees such as shidam (Tetrameles nudiflora) which support various other life forms in the grove. Creepers like garkani (Entada scandens) with their sword-like pods are found on the shidam, while the tree also houses beehives.

The grove also has an evergreen species of Ashoka which bears unique saffron-coloured flowers. Pandanus furcatus known locally known as 'kegadi' attracts village women when it bears flowers covered in yellow and soft thickets and during the monsoon, bioluminescent fungus which glitter at night grow on dead wood.

Apart from wild animals like the mouse deer, barking deer and spotted deer, the tall trees attract the crested serpent eagle, malabar grey hornbill and pied hornbill.  The grove is also conducive for the growth of a variety of edible mushrooms such as roen alami, khutyali, sonyali and shringar.

Says Vithal Sawant, 55, associated with the Brahmani Mahamaya temple: "A fire broke out in the sacred grove 30 years ago. Apart from destroying a major portion of the grove we found 100 tortoises and other creatures dead."

Meanwhile, the Brahmani Mahamaya temple that lies near devachi rai is no less intriguing. Housing stone sculptures of various deities, villagers believe the main deity, Brahmani Mahamaya, protects the village from all evil, including snake bites.

"Our village has never experienced a death due to the bite of a venomous snake. Our goddess holding cobras in both hands blesses villagers and accords protection from creatures like snakes," says 67-year-old local Vasu Sawant.

During divaja (part of the temple's zatra celebrations) upaar prepared from rice, jaggery and grated coconut is made and kept inside the locked temple. It is served to devotees the next day.

Similarly, those suffering from skin infections come all the way to the Copordem temple for its sacred water-tirth. It is believed to act as an antidote for snake poison too.

Meanwhile, returning to devachi rai, its natural bounty aside, the sacred grove also houses archaeological treasures-the beautifully carved sculptures of Mahishasurmardini and a warrior riding a horse.

Apart from the fauna it protects, the lush green cover also offers "natural air-conditioning" on hot summer days. In fact, Sadhale measured the temperature within the grove at 2.15pm in May 2005 and found it up to five degrees cooler than outside.

Says Sadhale, "Sacred groves like this need to be protected." Although spread across government land, he stresses that the onus of protection lies with the locals and not the state.  "Once upon a time sacred groves were well protected by the village community. Today, there is a need to mark the boundaries of the grove and to protect it." The environmentalist adds that the boundaries should not be marked by concrete fences.

"The entire village community has to come forward to protect this natural and archaeological heritage. Local residents should guard the traditional boundaries of the sacred grove by knowing where they are and ensuring no encroachments come up."

And what if the government wants to claim its land? For now Satari has protected Copordem's devachi rai by marking it as a sacred grove in the regional plan 2021.