📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Satpal Dandiwal
Religion
Sacred Forest Remnants in Virdi Echo Past Villagers' Exodus
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 23 Aug 2026, 02:18 AM
👁 2
The remaining patches of the once‑sacred forest in Virdi, Punjab, serve as a reminder of the historic migration of local families and the deities they carried.
A small cluster of trees and shrines in the village of Virdi, located in Punjab's Ludhiana district, is the last visible trace of a forest once considered holy by the local community. The area, now reduced to scattered groves and stone altars, was traditionally protected because it housed shrines to village deities and served as a communal grazing ground.
Historical records and oral histories indicate that, during the mid‑20th century, a large portion of the forest was cleared to make way for agricultural expansion. As fields spread, many families left the hamlet, taking with them idols of the guardian deities to re‑establish worship in new settlements. The surviving forest fragments therefore act as a living museum of that displacement.
Local elders say the remaining trees still echo the chants and rituals performed centuries ago, and they hope the site will be preserved as a cultural landmark. Authorities have been approached to designate the area as a protected heritage zone, but formal approval is pending.
Historical records and oral histories indicate that, during the mid‑20th century, a large portion of the forest was cleared to make way for agricultural expansion. As fields spread, many families left the hamlet, taking with them idols of the guardian deities to re‑establish worship in new settlements. The surviving forest fragments therefore act as a living museum of that displacement.
Local elders say the remaining trees still echo the chants and rituals performed centuries ago, and they hope the site will be preserved as a cultural landmark. Authorities have been approached to designate the area as a protected heritage zone, but formal approval is pending.