PRESERVING VEDIC PRACTICES (Agnihotra): A SURVEY ON TRADITIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES

India is known as rich biodiversity centre, in this aspect the Indian Himalaya regions particularly Uttarakhand is known as “Devboomi” (Land of God), this region possesses a tremendous variety of Flora and Faunas. Kumaun is well known for its traditions, cultural beliefs and spiritual aspects. There are many cultural festivals celebrated nationally and locally Agnihotra one of them. A questionnaire-based survey conducted on various districts of Kumaun. In which frequently ask questions related origin of Agnihotra, its cultural aspects, scientific importance, reason behind its celebration, its environmental aspects. The study was undertaken to document the plants related ethno-medicinal significance and plants which were applied in different ceremonies/ rituals, applied as Samidha etc. A total of 83 plant species were recorded during the survey. These are distributed across 77 genera and 48 families. Trees dominated the landscape, with 42 species, indicating the area likely contains a mix of forested or semi-forested regions. Herbs accounted for 21 species, reflecting the prevalence of smaller plants in understory or open spaces. Shrubs were represented by 18 species, indicating a significant presence of bushy vegetation. Only two species of grasses were recorded, representing that grass taxa were relatively uncommon in the study area. The traditional knowledge was collected from 107 informers by using open interviews and semi-structured questionnaires. This study will be important in preserving this plant-based practices of Kumaun as well as these important medicinal plants. Keywords: Medicinal /Aromatic plants, Ceremonies/ Rituals, Scientific significance, Environmental effects, Modernization effects.