As many as 76 different plant species including ‘Naga Kesara’ ( Mesua ferrea Linn ) and ‘Senegalia Catechu’ form a part of the ‘sacred grove’ launched at the Biodiversity Park on the premises of Rani Chandramani Devi Hospital, China Waltair, on Saturday.
Saplings that suit one’s zodiac signs at ‘raasi vanam’, 21 varieties of plants wherein the leaves are offered to Lord Ganesh at Vinayaka patra vanam, nine rare species used for nine planets also known as ‘Navagrahas’ at ‘Navagraha vanam’, a ‘Nakshatra vanam’ that has a collection of 27 plants and a ‘Saptarishi vanam’ that consists of seven species of rare plants form a part of the grove. The new green patch introduced as part of the awareness drive taken up by the Dolphin Nature Conservation Society at the park also has some of the endangered species such as sandalwood and sandra apart from deodar cedar grown in the Himalayas.
“Most of the sacred varieties contain therapeutic values and are rarely spotted. The idea behind developing the new green stretch is to educate people on the properties of these plants and encourage them to be part of the conservation movement,” says M. Rama Murty, founder of DNCS.
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After inaugurating the sacred grove, MP and BJP State president K. Haribabu promised help to develop the three-acre park with better infrastructure and expressed his willingness to allocate funds from MPLADS.
VUDA Vice-Chairman T. Baburao Naidu said facilities such as toilet and pathways would also be created at the park.