From The Latest Issue: Sacred By Nature

Imagine entering a forest where even a fallen leaf is not yours to take. Or standing beside a lake whose still waters are believed to belong to the divine. Stories of spirits and deities, along with rituals and age-old rules, lend these places an atmosphere that can feel almost otherworldly. To travel through them is to enter a world where belief is not simply observed, but felt. Perhaps what leads travellers here is not only spirituality, but the chance to find something increasingly rare: stillness.

Gopinath Parayil, founder of The Blue Yonder & KAITHA and a longtime advocate of community-based travel in Kerala, sees a growing interest in these places, partly in response to changes in pilgrimage. “Pilgrimage has become systematic and commercialised, wrapped in the language of tradition. The eagle-eyed watchmen, the long queues, the ticketed darshan slots, and priests moving devotees along like a factory line. All of it has replaced silence with schedules,” he said. “So it's natural that people, especially the young, go looking for that stillness elsewhere, in a forest, beside a river, in a grove that hasn't been ticketed yet.”

A Forest With Its Own Rules

In Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills, the historic village of Mawphlang is home to one of the region’s best-known law-kyntang, or sacred groves, protected by Khasi customs for generations.

Kirana Bhat visited Mawphlang in December 2025, intrigued by the idea of a forest protected not only for its ecological value but as part of a living cultural practice. “When you get there and stand at the edge of the forest, there is a moment when it feels almost mysterious, and you wonder what lies beyond,” she recalled. Inside, “the air suddenly seemed fresher, and I was struck by the age of the trees and the sheer variety of tree species around us.”

Having grown up familiar with traditions such as Bhootha Kola, the spirit-worship ritual of coastal Karnataka, and Naga Darshanas, centred on serpent worship, Bhat recognised a similar understanding of the connection among people, nature and the supernatural at Mawphlang.

For Bah Tambor Lyngdoh, an environmentalist and pioneer of community-led forest conservation, the sacred grove has been part of his life since childhood. “The forest is everything to me. We get fresh air, fuelwood, charcoal, and flora and fauna. I feel very proud and attached to it. The more I learn, the more I want to share it with the world, because through the wisdom of our forefathers, we still have this legacy with us,” he said.

This knowledge is also part of how the grove is protected. Written rules for managing the forest date back to 1915, when local minister Sabu Roy Blah first recorded them. The protection is collective, rooted in the traditional governance of Hima Mawphlang, the Khasi territory to which the grove belongs. The Durbar oversees administration and justice, while the Lyngdoh clan protects the grove through rites and rituals. Tambor calls this “social fencing,” where members take responsibility for preserving the forest and pledge not to disturb it.

Lyngdoh introduced ecotourism in 1996 to share this knowledge while helping protect the grove’s sanctity. More visitors have since arrived, but so have new pressures. “Negatively, there is too much rush, and the grove needs time to rejuvenate. Its carrying capacity has to be considered,” he said, pointing to overcrowding and pollution from cars.

Where Water Is Sacred

The idea of leaving a forest untouched takes on a different meaning beside Sikkim’s sacred lakes. Near Pelling in West Sikkim, Khecheopalri, also known as Khachodpalri, is one of Sikkim’s four principal sacred lakes, linked to Buddhist traditions surrounding Guru Padmasambhava, whose presence is believed to have shaped how the landscape is understood.

For communities around these holy lakes, their significance is something learned from childhood. “We have grown up visiting it, praying there and learning about its importance from our elders,” said Sonam Yongda Bhutia, Panchayat President and President of the Khecheopalri Pokhri Sanrakshan Samiti. “Everyone is taught to keep the lake and its surroundings clean and not to harm the nature around it. These values have been passed down from our grandparents and parents, and we continue to teach them to the younger generation.”

The customs Yongda described are rooted in a broader Buddhist understanding of the natural world. “These lakes are not merely beautiful natural sites,” said Dr Jigmee Wangchuk Bhutia, Assistant Professor at SGIHNS Sheda, Pangthang, Gangtok. “They are regarded within the Buddhist tradition as sacred spaces and dwelling places of deities and protective beings.”

According to Dr Bhutia, this understanding also shapes how people interact with the lakes. “For many visitors, these places offer something increasingly rare in contemporary life: a sense of silence, solitude, and inner peace,” he said. They could offer space for śamatha, or calm-abiding meditation, helping ease what Buddhist teachings metaphorically describe as the “monkey mind.” But preserving this sense of peace becomes more complicated as more visitors arrive.

The Art Of Being A Guest

Parayil believes most travellers are not consciously searching for spirituality when they visit such landscapes. “What they're chasing is connection. A barefoot walk to a forest shrine, a vow of abstinence before a hill pilgrimage, these ask real things of a person. Discipline, effort, and patience. What nature does not do is sell that demand back to you in tiers.”

But the search for connection can quickly become intrusive when sacred traditions are treated as experiences designed for visitors. He pointed to Theyyam, the ritual tradition of North Kerala in which performers embody local deities before a community, often within sacred groves known as kavus. “The moment a crowd arrives with phones out, pushing forward for the shot, using flash during the performer's trance, the thing they came for starts to disappear,” he warned. “A ritual becomes a performance the instant it is watched like one.”

For Parayil, responsible tourism begins with allowing communities to decide what can be shared and what must remain protected. “Tourism can stand beside these traditions only when the community keeps the authority to say no," he said.

Dr Bhutia does not believe tourism itself is the problem. "The greater challenge is unregulated and insensitive tourism,” he said. What is needed, he added, is “a model of responsible and spiritually informed tourism,” in which visitors understand the sacred character of these landscapes and treat them with respect.

Plan a responsible visit to sacred landscapes

Mawphlang Sacred Grove, Meghalaya: Finderbridge Tourism combines a guided walk through the Sacred Grove with a visit to the Khasi Heritage Village. finderbridge.com

Sacred Lakes of Sikkim: OurGuest connects travellers with local homestays and community-run experiences, including stays near Khecheopalri Lake. ourguest.in

Theyyam & Sacred Landscapes in Kerala: The Blue Yonder offers community-based cultural and heritage experiences that include local traditions, village life and sacred landscapes. theblueyonder.com

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