Chennai: The temples of Tamil Nadu are an important feeding ground for several butterfly species. M.GunaÂsekaÂrÂan, a Ph.D scholar from BhaÂrathiyar University, viÂsited more than 1,000 anÂcÂiÂent temples across the state in the last seven years for his research on ‘Butterfly diversity and its conservation in temple premises in Tamil Nadu’ and recorded 52 species that are thriving in the sacred groves of temples, safe from urbanization and other developmental activities.
“Worshipping trees on temple premises is a Hindu custom. Most temples have a sthalavriksha (temple tree) and their own nanthavanam (flower garden). Flowers from these gardens are used to decorate deities. These gardens offer food for the butterfly which cannot be captured in temples,” Gunasekaran said. The butterflies depend on trees to yield nectar and play a vital role in pollination and seed setting in plants, he added.
Among the 52 species, seven threatened and three endemic species were found thriving in temple premises and were comfortable, attached to their host plant.
Gunasekaran, who visited 1,165 temples and found 112 plant species being worshipped, found that some butterflies couldn’t manage to exist outside temples because of the unhealthy environment.
The sthalavrikshas and other plants were providing them succour.
He said that butterflies, like the common evening brown, common tree brown and common bush brown, depended on grasses found in nanthavanams.
The common Nawab butterfly made recurrent visits to the Vagai tree while he found a group of angled castor butterflies relishing food waste in the temple’s madapalli (kitchen) at the Patteeswarar temple in Coimbatore.
Gunasekaran’s guide, Balasubramaniam, principal scientist at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, said, “Trees are venerated as Gods. They are not cut and are allowed to grow without disturbance. Every butterfly depends on a particular host plant. In temples, butterflies live without any trouble from humans or any other species.”
