How Himachal’s deities have quietly monitored forests for generations

Once every three years, villagers escort the deity across forests, grazing lands and farms, retracing the boundaries of their natural resources.

Rachna Verma | Shimla | December 8, 2025 1:35 pm STATESMAN NEWSPAPER

Every few years, deep in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, the forests receive a visitor – not a forest officer, not a government team, but a deity carried on the shoulders of the people. Nearly 100 kilometres from Shimla, in a village named Bhog in the tehsil Theog, hundreds of villagers gathered as ‘Dodru Devta’, affectionately known as ‘Dev Nanu’, begin a month-long journey.

This sacred procession is far more than a religious ritual; it is an ancient ‘Environmental Audit’ in which damaged trees, polluted waterbodies or neglected cattle are noticed not through human inspection, but a divine power. For generations, this system has quietly upheld ecological discipline long before modern conservation laws took form.

Once every three years, villagers escort the deity across forests, grazing lands and farms, retracing the boundaries of their natural resources. According to tradition, the palanquin moves smoothly only when the environment is healthy. If a tree has been cut without permission, a stream polluted or a pasture overused, the palanquin halts. This pause indicates a violation of the deity’s nature rules. The violators responsible for the damage receive a symbolic punishment—‘dand’—reinforcing the belief and rules that the maintenance of the landscape is a shared duty.

Sangam Age Tamils called the spirits as ANANGU

These practices may seem unusual and unbelievable to many who might witness from outside, but for the Himachal culture and people, this tradition is an unwritten code deeply embedded in the state.  Across Himachal Pradesh, ‘devtas’ are regarded not only as spiritual guides but as custodians of land, water and forests. (TAMIL- ANANGU)  For generations, communities have followed these environmental norms set by their deities. These may include simple rules like offering the first harvest to birds, protecting water sources, protecting forests and not abandoning livestock. These customs evolved long before environmental laws and remain firmly upheld today.

Eighty-six-year-old Jamana Devi, one of Bhog’s oldest residents, has witnessed this tradition for more than eight decades. For her, the belief system is not just a festival but a lifeline. “Through these visits, the ‘Devta’ reminds us that he is always with us,” she said.

She recalled one of the earliest rules the ‘Devta’ set to protect the village’s drinking water. At a time when water was scarce and people often stepped into the community wearing slippers, the ‘Devta’ issued a strict command that no one would be allowed near the well with slippers, and the prasad would be prepared only with water drawn from that well. Gradually, the condition of the well improved, reinforcing the message of collective responsibility.

Jamana Devi also remembered how, in her childhood, any family or village dispute—no matter how small or serious—was taken to the ‘Devta’ for resolution.

As the procession begins, each household must send at least one member for the month-long yatra. Participation is non-negotiable. Throughout the journey, villagers arrange food and shelter for the ‘kardars’ and everyone accompanying the ‘Devta’. Neglecting these responsibilities, they believe, could anger the deity.

‘Dodru Devta’ is placed only on land considered sacred, marked by an old tree dedicated to him. Each village hosts the deity for a night, during which the ‘gur’, or medium, shares warnings and guidance. Villagers listen intently, trusting the deity to protect them from illness, calamities and misfortune—and to safeguard their forests. Even today, no one cuts a tree for house construction without seeking the permission of ‘Devta’.

Digvijay Singh Thakur, the ‘Adhisthak’ (who ensures rules are followed) of ‘Dodru Devta’, explained that the deity is viewed as the protector of natural resources. “The fields, forests and water sources flourish because of his blessings,” he said. The Devta travels with ‘gana’ (followers) named ‘Tunda’ and ‘Rakashan’, the latter believed to ward off evil forces.

village well

Historian Dr Surat Thakur noted that this practice extends across Himachal Pradesh. “From sacred lakes in Mandi to forest groves in Kullu and serpent shrines in Sirmaur, ‘Devta’ culture has created community-led conservation systems that have survived for centuries,” he said. At a time when the Himalayas face growing threats from construction, tourism and climate change, these traditions show how faith can sustain ecological balance.

In 2013, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora, studied the role of religion in preserving local ecology and culture. Their documentation recorded 514 sacred groves. These groves—commonly known as Devata Vans—are protected spaces where no activity is permitted without the deity’s consent. These untouched forest patches hold old-growth trees and rare species, safeguarded for generations through faith rather than formal enforcement.

Speaking to The Statesman, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjay Sood said, “If it were possible, I would declare all forests as ‘Dev Vans’. People are remarkably sincere about this tradition, and we have never received complaints of illegal activity from these areas.”

He added that the traditional folklore surrounding ‘devis’ and ‘devtas’ has naturally woven ecological conservation into daily community life. During customary eco-visits, the deities are believed to inspect their territories, while villagers perform simple but meaningful rituals to honour water bodies, trees and forested land.

In these villages, the guardians of nature are not distant officials or modern policies, but the very gods who walk the land with their people. Through faith, reverence, fear and tradition, communities continue to protect forests in ways that modern conservation efforts often struggle to achieve.

(This article is an outcome of the Stories of Hope Media Fellowship by IUCN India under the Himalaya for the Future initiative.)

—subham—

Tags- Himachal, Dodru Devta, Forest God, Environment Protection