Magico-religious plants of Sarkaghat tehsil in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh (India): An ethnobotanical perspective from the north-western Himalaya

Abstract

Background: Magico-religious plants form an essential part of traditional knowledge systems in the Himalayan area where local communities use them in rituals, spiritual healing, festivals, and socio-cultural activities. Despite Himachal Pradesh's rich cultural past, precise ethnobotanical knowledge on magico-religious plant activities in Sarkaghat tehsil of Mandi district is poorly documented.

Methods: The present study was carried out during March 2024-October 2025 in Sarkaghat tehsil of Mandi district (Himachal Pradesh). Ethnobotanical data had been collected through field surveys, semi-structured interviews, focused group discussions and several field trips engaging 75 informants, including priests, elderly villagers, farmers and home practitioners. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices including Use Value (UV), Cultural Importance Index (CI), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) were calculated in order to assess the cultural significance of the documented plant species.

Results: A total of 35 plant species from 24 families were recorded for their application in rituals, worship, protection against evil spirits, marriage ceremonies, fire rituals and ancestoral rites. Poaceae family was recorded as the predominant family with six species. Whole plant (25.42%) was the most common type of plant usage which was followed by other parts like leaves (18.64%) and stems (16.95%). Ocimum tenuiflorum had the most significant Use Value and Cultural Importance Index (0.160 each) whereas Dendrocalamus strictus and Ocimum tenuiflorum exhibited the highest Relative Frequency of Citation (0.866). The greatest Informant Consensus Factor was recorded for ancestral and death-related rituals (0.93) followed by planetary calming rituals (0.92) and marriage-related rituals (0.91). Gender-based investigation revealed that women had greater awareness of home ritual plants whereas males focused on species related to ceremonies and temples.

Conclusions: The research emphasizes the significant correlation between traditional faiths and biodiversity preservation in the North-Western Himalaya. The strong cultural consensus about ritual plant usage shows the persistent existence of preexisting traditional knowledge systems. A number of culturally significant species identified in the research require conservation efforts due to rising human-induced challenges and decreasing transfer of traditional knowledge.  The findings provide valuable baseline information for future ethnobotanical, phytocultural and conservation-related research in the Himalayan region. Keywords: Magico-religious, Ethnobotany, Sarkaghat, N.W. Himalaya, Traditional knowledge, Biodiversity