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Paper short abstract

This paper explores how Adivasi religion, Sarna Dharam, integrates spirituality, ecology, and sustainability. Through rituals, festivals, and cosmology, it fosters ecological balance, offering an indigenous paradigm of sustainable living and insights for global environmental stewardship.

Paper long abstract

This paper investigates the dynamic intersection of religion, ecology, and sustainability in Adivasi (Indigenous/Tribal) communities in India. The Adivasi religious tradition, known as Sarna Dharam or Adi-dharam, centers on nature, fostering a worldview that integrates spiritual, social, and environmental life. Rooted in indigenous cosmology, Sarna Dharam emphasizes egalitarianism, direct communion with the divine, and a symbiotic relationship between humans and the natural world. These principles manifest in daily life and communal rituals, promoting sustainable coexistence with the environment. Festivals such as Sarhul and Karam, which venerate trees like Saal (Shorea robusta) and Karam (Nauclea parvifolia), illustrate a ritual ecology that reinforces environmental stewardship through spiritual practice. In Adivasi society, religion and culture are inseparable, with beliefs shaping attitudes toward ecological conservation. Through an ethnographic lens, examining religious performances, festivals, rituals, and textual sources, this study argues that Sarnaism offers an alternative paradigm of sustainable living, grounded in reverence, reciprocity, and ecological balance. By highlighting how religious practices transmit ecological knowledge, the paper contributes to broader debates on indigenous roles in addressing contemporary environmental crises. Furthermore, it challenges anthropocentric conservation models, positioning indigenous epistemologies as vital to reimagining sustainability in the Anthropocene. Ultimately, Adivasi religious practices exemplify how spirituality and ecological consciousness can coexist, offering lessons for global environmental stewardship.