World Indigenous Day: Resonating the shared and sacred

The relationship between Bharat’s Janajatiya (Scheduled Tribe) communities and the wider Hindu tradition has long been the subject of historical, anthropological, and political debate of interaction, cultural exchange, and shared sacred traditions. Across central, eastern, western, and Himalayan Bharat, many Janajatiya communities have historically worshipped Mahadev (Shiva), local manifestations of the Mother Goddess (Shakti), village deities, ancestral spirits, mountains, forests, rivers, and sacred groves. These traditions often exist alongside broader Hindu practices. Among the oldest surviving cultural traditions of the extended Bharat are those preserved by its Janajatiya communities. Living in forests, hills, river valleys, and plateau regions for centuries, these communities developed religious systems deeply rooted in nature, ancestor veneration, sacred landscapes, and local deities. Long before organised temples became widespread, sacred groves, mountains, rivers, caves, and ancient trees served as places of worship. Many historians have observed striking similarities between these practices and early forms of Shaiva and Shakta worship. Shiva is revered not only as a cosmic deity but also as the Bhagwan of forests, mountains, animals, ascetics, hunters, and Janajati peoples. His epithets — Mahadev, Pashupati, Girisha, Kirata, and Bhuteshwara — reflect associations with wilderness, pastoral life, and communities living beyond settled urban centres. Likewise, Shakti traditions celebrate the divine feminine through countless local goddesses associated with fertility, forests, rivers, disease protection, agriculture, and the earth itself. For many Janajati communities, such forms of worship have remained central to religious life. Among several Gond groups, Bada Deo (often identified with Mahadev) occupies a supreme position. Various Bhil communities revere Mahadev alongside regional deities. Koya, Maria, Muria, Halba, Baiga, and numerous other communities similarly incorporate forms of Shiva or local Mother Goddess traditions into their ritual lives, though practices vary significantly from region to region. This diversity is essential. Bharat is home to more than seven hundred Scheduled Tribes, and their beliefs differ considerably. Some communities identify themselves as Hindu. Others follow Sarna, Donyi-Polo, Bathou, Seng Khasi, or other indigenous traditions. Recognising this diversity strengthens the study of Janajati religious history. Nature as First Sacred Space Before emergence of large mandir complexes and formal religious institutions, the sacred geography of Bharat was shaped primarily by nature. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence suggests that mountains, rivers, trees, stones, serpents, animals, and fertility symbols were among the earliest objects of reverence across the extended Bharat. Many of these features remain central to Janajatiya religious life today. Sacred groves continue to function as protected spaces where cutting trees or hunting animals is traditionally prohibited. Certain hills are regarded as the dwelling places of ancestral spirits or protective deities. Rivers are treated not merely as sources of water but as living beings deserving ritual respect. Agricultural cycles are marked by seasonal festivals expressing gratitude to the earth and the forces of nature. These practices resonate strongly with themes found in Shaiva and Shakta traditions. Shiva is frequently portrayed as dwelling in mountains, forests, and cremation grounds. His companions include animals, serpents, ghosts, hunters, and ascetics — figures symbolically associated with the margins of settled society. Similarly, Shakti traditions often centre on local goddesses linked to forests, fertility, disease protection, and village welfare. Among the many forms of Shiva, perhaps none is more significant for understanding Janajatiya traditions than Pashupati — the Bhawan of Animals. The title reflects a close relationship between humans, animals, forests, and ecological balance. For communities dependent on hunting, gathering, shifting cultivation, or pastoral life, such symbolism carries obvious cultural significance. Classical literature also preserves narratives in which Shiva appears in forms associated with forest peoples. In the Kiratarjuniya tradition, Shiva manifests as a kirata (mountain hunter) before revealing his divine identity to Arjuna. Likewise, numerous regional traditions depict Mahadev as approachable, austere, and closely connected with ordinary people rather than royal authority. Such characteristics have contributed to his enduring popularity among rural and Janajatiya populations across much of Bharat. Unearthing Sacred Landscapes The history of Shaiva and Shakta traditions cannot be understood solely through classical Sanskrit literature. Archaeology, anthropology, folklore, and living traditions together offer valuable insights into the religious landscape of ancient Bharat. While archaeology rarely identifies a deity with certainty, it reveals patterns of symbolism that later become central to Bharatiya religious life. For contemporary Hindu society, the lessons offered by Janajatiya traditions are especially significant. In an era marked by climate change, the Janajatiya ethics of living in harmony with nature offers an insight into enduring value One of the most debated archaeological discoveries is the “Pashupati Seal” from the Indus Valley Civilisation (c 2600–1900 BCE). The seal depicts a horned figure seated in what appears to be a yogic posture. In the early twentieth century, archaeologist Sir John Marshall proposed that the figure represented a proto-Shiva or an early form of Pashupati. Regardless of this debate, the symbolism is noteworthy. The association of a central figure with meditation, animals, and wilderness resembles themes that later become prominent in Shaiva traditions. Rather than proving a direct continuity, the seal illustrates that many ideas later associated with Shiva — asceticism, animals, and sacred authority over nature — have deep antiquity in the extended Bharat. Similarly, archaeological excavations across Bharat have uncovered numerous terracotta female figurines dating to prehistoric and protohistoric periods. While it is impossible to identify these figures with specific Goddesses such as Durga, Kali, or Parvati, they indicate that reverence for female fertility, motherhood, and protective powers existed long before the composition of the Puranas. These traditions likely contributed to the later development of regional Shakta worship. Sacred Symbols in Nature Long before elaborate mandirs became common, sacred geography defined religious practice across much of Bharat. Archaeological and ethnographic studies consistently demonstrate the ritual significance of sacred trees, standing stones, megaliths, hilltops, caves, rivers, and forest groves. These features remain remarkably prominent in many Janajati societies. Among several Gond communities, sacred groves continue to function as spaces where community rituals are performed and ecological protection is maintained through customary law. Baiga priests traditionally conduct ceremonies in forests rather than temple complexes. Bhil communities often [...]