Kerala govt pushes for greener temples with Devaranyam project

T’puram: The devaswom department has announced a project to transform temple premises across the state into greener and more eco-friendly spaces. The programme, titled ‘Devaranyam’, will be launched on June 5, coinciding with World Environment Day.The project will be implemented with the cooperation of the devaswom boards, temple advisory committees, the forest department and devotees. Under the initiative, greening and conservation activities will be carried out in 3,087 temples administered by Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, Guruvayur Devaswom Board and Koodalmanikyam Devaswom Board.The govt aims to plant and nurture one lakh saplings within a year as part of the programme. Temple premises will be landscaped with flowering plants such as thechi, while indigenous and culturally significant tree species including peepal, banyan, athi, ithi and bael will also be planted. Medicinal plants will be cultivated and special attention will be given to the preservation and restoration of traditional temple groves.Officials said the social forestry division will play a key role in ensuring the successful implementation of the project. Apart from contributing to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation, the govt believes the initiative will create long-term ecological and social benefits for devaswom institutions.The state-level inauguration of the programme will be held at 8am on June 5 at the Peroor Sreekrishna Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The event will be inaugurated by devaswom minister K Muraleedharan.A high-level meeting chaired by the minister reviewed preparations for the launch. The devaswom department expects the Devaranyam initiative to strengthen environmental stewardship while preserving the cultural and ecological heritage associated with Kerala’s temples.