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Koraput Sacred Groves (Bonda Hills/Semiliguda, regional)
Koraput region (Bonda Hills, Semiliguda, Noongarh), southern Odisha
India
Active but degrading (forest cover 60%→30%)
Regional cluster
- Location
- Koraput region (Bonda Hills, Semiliguda, Noongarh), southern Odisha
- Coordinates
- ~18.8°N 82.7°E
- Elevation
- Eastern Ghats (~900 m)
- Size
- 322 sites in Semiliguda alone
- Age / Founded
- Ancient (tribal cosmologies)
- Status
- Active but degrading (forest cover 60%→30%)
- Deity & Religion
- Tribal deities; animist (Bonda, Gadaba, Kondh)
- Community & Guardians
- Koraput tribes; leaders Naiks, Disaris, Pujaris, Gurumais
- Vernacular name
- Sacred grove (Jhola / Devsthan)
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Deity-revered taboo-shielded patches; watershed/spring protection; medicinal & fruit trees
Plant species
Endemic species; mango, mahua, tamarind, amla, harida
Biome & fauna
Eastern Ghats moist deciduous forest
Threats & protection
Widespread degradation; proposed CCA/community-committee restoration
Source
Rath & Kashyap 2026, Odisha Environmental Congress