Society, religion and bio-diversity conservation in India.

India has a diverse culture and Indians are very religious. Respect for nature and environment is common to all religious faiths. Large numbers of God and Goddesses are worshipped in India. Each one of them is associated with at least one plant like Goddess Laxmiji is associated with kamaland Lord Krishna is associated with Kadamba. Devotees offer prayers to them with these plants or their parts. There are also a lot of festivals and ceremonies celebrated throughout the year in different states in different manners. During these festivals and ceremonies different types of plants and their parts are required. This diversity of culture and beliefs in our country help in the conservation of many plants. The present paper discusses how religion helps in biodiversity conservation in India with special reference to sacred plants.