Which of the following sacred groves is found in Meghalaya ?
Which of the following sacred groves is found in Meghalaya ?
Options
Official answer
Correct option: A — Jaintia hills
Sacred groves are tracts of forest set aside and given total protection on religious grounds. In Meghalaya they occur in the Khasi and Jaintia hills.
- B, C, D — Bastar, Chanda and Sarguja are sacred groves located in Madhya Pradesh (and Chhattisgarh region), not Meghalaya.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark: correct option A (Jaintia hills).
- 2.No marks for merely naming Meghalaya without selecting the option.
Hint
Think of the Khasi–Jaintia belt of the north-east.
Quick oral answer
The sacred groves of Meghalaya lie in the Khasi and Jaintia hills, so the correct answer is Jaintia hills.
Common mistakes
- 1.Picking Bastar, Chanda or Sarguja — these are real sacred groves but of Madhya Pradesh, not Meghalaya.
- 2.Confusing sacred groves (in-situ) with zoological parks or seed banks (ex-situ) conservation.
Analysis and explanation
Concept
Sacred groves are a classic Indian example of in-situ (on-site) conservation driven by cultural and religious belief rather than law. Local communities protect these forest patches, so they often shelter rare and endemic species.
Where they occur (NCERT)
- Khasi and Jaintia hills — Meghalaya
- Aravalli hills — Rajasthan
- Western Ghat regions — Karnataka and Maharashtra
- Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar — Madhya Pradesh / Chhattisgarh
Exam trap
Students confuse the four options because all four are genuine sacred-grove sites — but only Jaintia hills belongs to Meghalaya. The other three cluster in central India.
Real-world
In Meghalaya, the sacred groves are among the last refuges for undisturbed climax vegetation and are so strictly protected that even removing a twig may be taboo.
Interesting facts
Sacred groves in the Khasi hills of Meghalaya are among the most undisturbed forest patches in India and harbour several rare and endemic plants.
India has thousands of documented sacred groves, making it one of the world's richest traditions of community-led forest conservation.
Question details
Q7 of 37 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 12
- Subject
- Biology
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section A
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- MCQ
- Chapter
- Biodiversity and Conservation
- Topic
- Sacred Groves
- Bloom's level
- remember
- Syllabus topic
- Unit X: Ecology — Biodiversity and Conservation: In-situ Conservation (Sacred Groves)
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
What are sacred groves?
Sacred groves are patches of forest or natural vegetation protected by local communities on religious grounds, where cutting even a single tree may be forbidden. They act as an in-situ conservation method and often preserve rare, endemic and climax-forest species.
In which states other than Meghalaya are sacred groves found?
Besides the Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, sacred groves occur in the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan, the Western Ghat regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and the Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas of Madhya Pradesh.