District Kishtwar (J&K) Corresponding Author:

Present study deals with the compilation, analysis and documentation of information on the sacred plants of District Kishtwar (J&K). A total of 56 species belonging to 55 genera and 31 families have been recorded. These species are distributed within different life forms viz. herbs (73.2%), shrubs (10.7%) trees (12.5%) and climbers (3.6%). Angiosperms is the dominant group with maximum number of sacred plants, while, Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms are represented by one species each. The sacred plants and parts of plants utilized thereof are categorized on the basis of their socio-cultural perspective. Traditionally various parts of plants such as leaves (12 spp.), stem/branches (2 spp.), flowers (6 spp.), seeds/grains (16 spp.), fruits (8 spp.), bark (1 sp.), roots/rhizome (2spp.), stigma (1 sp.) and whole plants (10 spp.), are used in different religious ceremonies and social rites. Apart from sacred value, the study also contributed to the ethnomedicinal uses of such plants in the study area. There is a myth related to the sacred plants, if a plant is used for pooja, the same plant can be used as elixir of health. Sacred plants being integral part of biodiversity need proper attention in terms of conservation and sustainable utilization for the present and future use. So, the development of an appropriate strategy for conservation and sustainable utilization of sacred plants is suggested