Bio-Diversity and Cultural Aspects of Mahendragiri, in ... - Vasundhara

EPTRI-ENVIS NewsletterISSN : 0974-2336Vol.18, No.1. 2012The Eastern GhatsE P T R I - E N V I S N e w s l e t t e rENVIS CENTRE ON ECOLOGY OF EASTERN GHATSThe ENVIS Centre on Eastern Ghats is a decentralized Environmental Information Centre established by the Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests, Government of India on thematic issue of Ecology of Eastern GhatsVolume-18 Issue-1 January-March, 2012ENVIS CENTRE ON ECOLOGY OF EASTERN GHATSENVIRONMENT PROTECTION TRAINING & RESEARCHINSTITUTE

The Eastern Ghats, EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter Vol.18, No.1, 2012CONTENTSPage no.1. Editorial 22. Forth Coming events 2THE EASTERN GHATSENVIS NEWSLETTERVOL.18, No 1,20123. Bio-Diversity and Cultural Aspectsof Mahendragiri, inEastern Ghatsof India34. Abstracts 8EDITORIALIn this issue of the Eastern Ghatsnewsletter an article deals withthe Bio-Diversity and Cultural Aspects ofMahendragiri, in Eastern Ghats of India,where Culture and Nature Coexistsforth coming events and News & Eventsare presented.Cover Page:Drosera burmaniiPhoto Credit: M.GiridharENVIS COORDINATORFORTH COMING EVENTSTitle: International Conference on Forest Mountain & People 2012Date: 5 to 6 July 2012Venue: Kandy, Sri LankaOrganizer: International Center for Reserach & Development(ICRD)Email/Contact person: Prabhath PatabendiWebsite: http://www.futureevents.orgLast date for abstract: 31 March 2012ENVIS TeamDr. Razia Sultana, ENVIS CoordinatorMr. B.L.N. Murthy, Program officerMr. M.Giridhar, Program OfficerSmt J.V.S. Prabhavathi, Data Entry OperatorPublished byEPTRI, HyderabadSupported byMinistry of Environment and Forests(MoEF)2

The Eastern Ghats, EPTRI - ENVIS NewsletterAbstract:Bio-diversity and Cultural Aspects ofMahendragiri in Eastern Ghats of India.Prasad Kumar Dash* and P. W. Jaykumar Choudhary*Plant Ecologist,Community conservation and Forest Governance ThemeVasundhara, Odisha.Guest Faculty in Zoology, P.G. Department of Life Sciences, SKCG College, ParalkhemundiThe Mahendragiri hills on the Eastern Ghats of Indiaare floristically, archeologically and ecologicallyimportant habitat as they harbour both the Northernand Southern Indian floral elements. A vegetationsurvey was conducted in Mahendragiri hills todocument the floral diversity of the region onNovember, 2010 which yield 679 species of plantsthat includes 3 species of gymnosperms, 676 speciesof angiosperms under 453 genera and 115 families.Polygala crotalarioides var. glabrescens, Gnetummontanum, Drosera burmanii, Drosera indica andBupleurum falcatum are reported for the first timefrom the hill. Similarly many Rare, Endangered andThreatened plants were recorded during the surveythat includes species of both northern and southernIndian floral composition. Mahendragiri hill forestcomplex acts as the carbon sink and water tower, thusplays a pivotal role in maintaining the ecologicalbalance and climate control of the entire southOdisha and Srikakulum district of Andhra Pradesh.Irrespective of the rich floral diversity, the hills areunder severe threat of deforestation and degradationdue to several anthropogenic activities. To protectand conserve the ancient sacred hill, it is nowimperative to declare Mahendragiri-Singaraj-Badadeva-Devagiri system covering more than 5,000sq km as a Biosphere Reserve or BiodiversityHeritage Site. A detailed and seasonal survey on allgroup of life forms of the hill need to be documentedbefore preparing conservation and management planIntroduction:The 5,000 feet high Mahendragiri-Singharaju hills,situated in the middle of Eastern Ghats in theParalakhemundi sub-division of Gajapati district is175 km away from Berhampur. It is a treasure ofplant genetic wealth and being treated as criticalhabitat of Saura, a primitive tribal Group (PTG) ofIndia. As per Gamble (1892), Mahendragiri is theamalgamation of biodiversity with species from bothnorth and south, the Himalayas and the Nilgiris.Theannual rainfall is 1551.6 mm. Spread over an area ofover 2,000 sq km bordering Andhra Pradesh, thismajestic micro-environmental terrain is dotted with3Vol.18, No.1, 2012over 25 small and big hills among which Singaraj(1516 meters), Mahendragiri (1601 meters) andDevagiri (1392 meters) are the highest peaks in theregion forming a golden triangle symbolizing thearea's immense ecological asset.The lush greentropical forests (semi ever green to moist and drydeciduous type) of Mahendragiri acts as atransitional zone between flora of southern Indiaand the Himalayas making the region an ecologicalestuary of genetic diversities which provideslivelihood to the Saura's. The archeologicalimportance of the hills includes Kunti temple,Parshuram temple, Bhima temple, Yudhisthirtemple, Hanuman temple etc. which are of prehistoric ages. Sivaratri is the main festival herewhich draws a large crowd. This testifies the factthat it was once a centre of Saivite culture.Ecologically, the Mahendragiri terrain is in a verybad shape today as the vegetation cover has becomevery thin except in the valleys due to anthropogenicactivities, lack of alternative livelihoods and legalprotection of traditional knowledge. Both the plantwealth and indigenous knowledge are in imminentdanger.Geology:The rocks of Mahendragiri hills belong to graniteand magnetiteDrainage:Mahenragiri is the origin point of two importantrivers of south Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Theprincipal drainage systems are Bahuda Riveremanated from Singaraju peak, Ghodahada River animportant tributary of Rushikulya starts fromRamgiri of Dhoba dhobani hill ranges and joinsRushikulya at Hinjilikatu, Sana nadi, a tributary ofVamsadhara starts around R. Udyagiri and joinsVamsadhara at Gunpur. Similarly, Mahendratanayawest, a principal tributary of Vamsadhara has cutacross mahendraparvat and joins Vamsadhara atParalakhyamundi, another Mahendratanaya startsfrom Mahendragiri peak and flows via Mandasa andBaruva and finally join sea on the east.Study site:Mahendragiri hilly terrain is located in Survey ofIndia topographic maps 74 A/4, A/8, 74B/1 and74B/5 in Paralakhemundi division of Gajpatidistricts of Odisha (Fig 1). Following peaks are thecharacterstic features of the hill which

The Eastern Ghats, EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletterdistinguishes the other floristic habitat of Odishafrom Mahendragiri in terms of ecological factors(Table 1).Table 1: Mountain peaks of MahendragiriName Relative Location Altitude(mts)Singaraz North of Mahendragiri 1,516Mahendra- North-East of Kainpur 1,501giriDevagiri South of Gumma 1,382Badadeba East of Ramagiri-Udaygiri 1,364Idongiri/ West of Mahendragiri 1,323IndragiriLuaba South-East of R. Udayagiri 1,260Seranga North of Seranga 1,150Gumma South-East of Gumma 1,094Figure-1: Location of Mahendragiri in Eastern Ghatsof IndiaVol.18, No.1, 2012Previous floristic accounts of Mahendragiri hillcomplex:The first floristic account of Mahendragiri wasdealt by Gamble (1915-35) in 1892 who is known asthe pioneer researcher to document the flora.Subsequently Mukharjee (1935); Kapoor (1964);Bramham and Saxena, 1981, 1984; Paul et al.,1980; Panda and Tripathy (1993) had botanised thehill. Similarly Saxena and Brahmam (1994)enumerated the floristic account of mahendrgirihills in the book Flora of Orissa. However Kapoordescribed only 2 species of orchids from thisregion. Later Mishra (1983, 1993) and Panda et al.(2010) represented 36 species of Orchids fromMahendragiri.Results and discussion:Sacred Sites of Mahendragiri:Mahendragiri is the foremost of the seven“Kulagiris” or principal mountains of India. It hasbeen referred to in ancient literature, accounts andepigraphy. It finds mention in the works of poetsKalidas and Oriya poets Sarala Das and RadhanathRay. The archaeological structures here, includingthe Bhima, Yudistir and Kunti temples, which enjoythe status of protected monuments under theAntiquate Monument Archaeological Remains andSites Act 1958, are also under threat. These templesare believed to have been established between thefourth and the 10th century AD. All the temples arenamed after the Pandavas and their mother Kunti.Oriya Mahabharata author Sarala Das attributes theestablishment of the Gokarnesvara Sivalinga toP a n d a v a s , w h o a r e s a i d t o h a v e v i s i t e dMahendragiri during their exile. The Kunti templeis 30-ft high and is at one end of the flat top of thehill. The temple has been plastered with lime afterthorough repairs. The “parsvadevatas” includeGanesha, Kartikeya and Pravati. The “nabagrahas”are placed on the lintel over the door jambs. Twoinscriptions that may be paleographically placed inthe 12th century are found here.Landscape of Mahendragiri hills4The Yudhisthira temple that rises abruptly from theground level is in the “Triratha” style and is on theother side of the hill's flat top. The outer walls aredevoid of any sculptural decoration excepting fourChaitya arches. There is no “parsvadevata” here.The lintel of the door contains an inscription of theChola dynasty.The Bhima temple is assumed byscholars to have been built just after the Guptaperiod and appears to be the oldest of these temples.

The Eastern Ghats, EPTRI - ENVIS NewsletterIt is made of five huge square blocks of stones andhas a low and squat tower, square sanctum, squat“sikhara” and flat roof. The doorway is narrowand the walls do not have any niche. This temple isoften regarded as the Gokarnesvara temple of theplace. Apart from these big temples, there are fewsmall statues of Lord Hanuman and lord Parsuramin the hill top where the shola forest exists. Saorasare the main tribe in these hill forests, but theycome under vulnerable tribal group (prmitivetribal group) which are protecting the forest sincemany decades and deriving the eosystem servicesprovided by the hills. More than 2,000 people visitMahendragiri every year. But since most of themcome for a short visit, elaborate accommodationfacilities are not available.Vol.18, No.1, 2012Vegetation: Mahendragiri comes under the Deccanregion of Hooker's (1904) nine botanical provinces ofBritish India. Gamble and Fisher (1915-35), whilerecognizing five floristic divisions of MadrasPresidency, placed mahendragiri in their Sal region.According to Champion and Seth (1968), the forestsof Mahendragiri fall under tropical moist deciduoustype. The foot hills of the hill range covered with drydeciduous forests. On gaining height, this graduallychanges to tropical moist deciduous forests, which ispredominant in larger areas of the hills. The uppervalleys come under tropical semi-evergreen forestsmixed with tropical evergreen forests in smallpockets. Hence Mahendragiri fall mainly under (a)Sal forests (b) tropical moist deciduous, (c) tropicaldry deciduous, (d) semi-evergreen (e) Grasslands,and (f) scrub forests. The forests are also subdividedin to Sal forests, semi-evergreen forests, Grasslandsand scrubs.Sal forests: Sal occurs in different plant communitiesin different frequency. Sal forests which occur incontinuation with the semi-evergreen type or close tothe moist valleys are classified as tropical moistdeciduous forests. The top storey in these forestsconsists of predominantly deciduous species whereas the socond storey has some evergreens. Commonassociates are Pteocarpus marsupium, Terminaliaspp., Haldinia cordifolia, Madhuca indica etc. Theshrub layer consists of etc. The dominant climbers areBauhinia vahlii, Ardisia solanacea, Barleriastrigosa, Eranthemum pulchellum Cayratia carnosa,Cissus adnata, Cissus repens, Diascorea spp. andSmilax macrophylla etc. The ground flora consists ofAndrographis paniculata, Dicliptera bupleuroides,Justisia simplex and many species of commelinaceae,Zingiberaceae and poaceae.When the conditions are hot and dry, sal is of poorquality and the forests may be called as tropical drydeciduous type. The important associates of Sal areAnogeissus latifolia, Diospyros melanoxylon,Dendrocalamus strictus, Mallotus philippensis etc.The shrub layers consist of Cleistanthus collinus,Zigiphus spp., and Carissa spp. The climbers includeAcacia spp., Cayratia auriculata, Ampelocissustomentosa, Ventilago madraspatana and Combretumroxburghianum.Moist deciduous forests: Bellow the ridge on steepslopes the mixed forests are found which are dividedin to dry and moist deciduous forests as per thespecies composition and period of leaf falls. Theimportant constituent species are Terminalia5

The Eastern Ghats, EPTRI - ENVIS Newsletter Vol.18, No.1, 2012belle/irica, Terminalia chebula, Anogeissus acuminata,Callicarpa arborea, Hymenodictyon orixense, Brideliaretusa etc. Mixed forests of lower elevation are composedof Gelonium lanceolatum, Gelonium multiflorum,Chloroxylon swietenia, Flacourtia sepiaria, Cleistanthuscollinus, Glycosmis maurtiana etc.Semi-evergreen forests: Very few patches of semievergreenforests were observed in moist valleysaround the perennial stream channels. These arecharacterized by large number of dominant speciesmostly evergreens with some deciduous, heavyclimbers and epiphytes. The important flora areLitsea monopetala, Grewia disperma, Diospyrosperegrina, Garcinia xanthochymus, Prunuspygeoides, Prunus ceylanica, Mangifera indica,Turpinia nepalensis, Neolitsea foliosa, Neolitseacassia, Leea macrophylla, Boehmeria platphyla,Xantolis tomentosa, Beilschmedia roxburghiana,Gnetum ula, Gnetum montanum, Entada scandens,Michelia champaca, Clematis roylei, Reinwardtiatrigyna etc. The epiphytes of this zone includeDendrobium bicameratum, Aerides odorata,Bulbophyllum triste, Bulbophyllum umbellatum,Cymbidium aloifolium, Eria bambusifolia andLuisia trichorhiza etc.Apart from semi-evergreen forests, the hills harborsmall patches of Shoals at grasslands above 1200 mto 1400 m with evergreen trees like Diospyroscandolleana, Drypetes assamica, Linocieraramiflora, Nothopegia heyneana, Neocinamomumcaudatum, Litsea alata, Litsea monopetala,Neolitsea foliosa, Neolitsea cassia, Dryopetesasamica etc.Scrub forests: these forests are the out comes ofbiotic interferences which can also be refffered asinduced scrubs. The important species of this typeare Zigiphus oenoplea, Flacourtia sepiaria,Pavetta indica, Toddalia asiatica, Cappariszeylanica, Gymnosporea emarginata, Carissaspinarum, Ichnocarpus frutescens, Cryptolepisbuchananii, Cassytha filiformis, Meyna spinosa,Glycosmis mauritiana, Cipadessa baccifermis andMimosa rubicaulis.Grasslands: The upper slopes of Mahendragiri andtheir adjacent flat summits are mostly grasslands.These are the biotic sub-climax or plagioclimaxvegitation. These are also considered as climaxzones as it is situated above 1200 m above msl andthere is very less chance of change in vegetationpattern. The important grassses are Themadatriandra, Themada quadrivalvis, Cymbopogonlexiossus, Cappilipedium asimile, Apluda muticaChrysopogon assimilis, Arundinella ssp, Arthoraxonlancifolius, Imperta cylindrica, Iseilema laxum, Bothriochloaglabra, Bothriochloa pertusa, Eragrostis atrovirens,Eragrostis pilosa, Sporobolus fertilis etc. Non-grass speciesincludes Crotolaria spp., Viola betonicifolia, Tephrosiaroxburghiana, Sophora interrupta, Senesio nudicaulis,Sonchus arvensis, Scleria spp. Swertia angustifolia,thungergia fragrans, etc.Floral diversity of Mahendragiri hills:Mahendragiri hill complex is a biodiversity paradiseand harbours species representing the entire EasternGhats. It's flora comes under the Deccan region ofHooker's nine botanical provinces of British India.Gamble & Fisher while recognizing five floristicdivisions of Madras Presidency placed Mahendragiriin their 'Sal Region'.The floral diversity of the hill consists of 679 speciesof plants that includes 3 species of gymnosperms, 676species of angiosperms, under 453 genera and 115families. The plant diversity of the hills is found to be35% of the flora of Odisha. The 10 most dominantfamilies of Mahendragiri (Fig 2) are Fabaceae,Poaceae, Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Euphorbiaceae,Rubiaceae, Acanthaceae, Lamiaceae, Cyperaceae andApocynaceae. The characteristic Himalayan speciesoccurring on Mahendragiri are Moutia puya, Violacanescens, Viola betonicifolia, Clematis roylei,Rhamnus nepalensis, Anotos calycina, Ajugamacrosperma, Thalictrum foliolosum, Rubusellipticus, Rubia cordifolia, Sarcococca trinervia,Zanthoxylum armatum, Ophiopogon intermedius etc.The important south Indian species represented in thehills are Taphrosia rosburghiana, Sida rumbifolia ssp.retusa, Todalia asiatica var. obtusifolia, Sophorainterrupta, Wendelandia gamble, Pavetta brevifolia,Anaphalis lawii, Sanecia candicans, Diospyroscandolleuna, Peperomia portulacoides, Neolitseazylenica, Curculigo trichocarpa Clausena heptaphyllaetc. It is interesting to note that some North Easternspecies like Syzygium cuneatum, Linocieramacrophylla, Litsea laeta etc. and some species ofBurma and Java such as Psychoteria fulva, Ophiorhizatrichocarpos etc. were also observed in Mahendragiri.Except Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Orchidaceae othermonocots are poorly represented. Gymnospermrepresented by 3 indigenous species such as Cycassphaerica, Gnetum montanum and Gnetum ula. Variedplant and animal species still survive in the wilds ofthe region. Out of 32 plant species in the countryidentified for conservation, cultivation and sustainablecommercial exploitation by the National MedicinalPlants Board under the Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare, botanists have identified at least 15 speciesavailable in the Mahendragiri eco-system.6