Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), presented the ‘Devrai’ Sacred Groves of Maharashtra situated in the Sacred Groves Open Air Exhibition of Manav Sangrahalaya. About this exhibition, Dr Praveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that – In Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg Districts of Maharashtra, each village has at least one Sacred Groves. With a few exceptions of privately owned Sacred Groves of Devraies, lands of all the groves belong to the Revenue Department.

 

However, it is handed over to respective village panchayats for their management and administration. The traditional decision making body of village, consisting of ‘Mankaries and Gaokars’, is still very strong, specially in taking decision on socio-religious matters. Extraction of timber or any other forest produce from Devrai is strictly prohibited for any personal use. About the Devrai Sacred Groves, Dheer Singh, Horticulture Officer told that – The villagers believe that the entire property within the sacred groves belongs to the deity. These groves harbor many important and rare plant species, specially the medicinal plants from Western Ghats, which are hardly found elsewhere are being lost otherwise as a result of deforestation or over-exploitation.

 

This exhibition was presented online .Many of these sacred groves have perennial sources of water. On Thursday Sanjukta Mudgal (IFS), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India visited the prehistoric rock paintings located in the museum, Himalayan Village, Myth Gallery, Marugram and Coastal Village, Muktakash Exhibition and Nanda Devi Rajajat Exhibition and Intimate Exhibition Building Gallery. On this occasion, the director of the museum, Dr Praveen Kumar Mishra and other human scientists gave guidance.