The cedar trees provide the forest with a shady canopy.
Ferns and woody shurbs of the forest floor.
Small herbs
Our hotel owner, Rajinder, led us on the beautiful nature walk. His ancestors have lived in the Himalayas for centuries and he is very knowledgable about the forest and Hindu culture.
The trail eventually led to an ancient Hindu temple nestled in the forest. The temple dates back to 1200 AD and is still in use by the local people.
We had to remove our shoes before walking up the steps to the small wood and stone temple. We were fortunate because a priest was there, and we were able to observe the priest performing his daily prayers. He rang bells, chanted, and made blessings with water. He also blew a conch shell. It was very fascinating to observe.
The temple had beautiful wood carvings that were painted in bright shades of yellow, red, and green.
Outside the temple there was a large stone planter where basil was growing. In addition to cows, basil is considered sacred in Hindu culture. It isn't used too much in food, but it is used in drinks like tea. Dr. Pradeep told us that all Hindu homes are encouraged to keep basil growing in their homes.
Basil
After visiting the temple we made our way through the forest to our research site. We settled on a steep slope covered in lush grasses and tall cedar trees.
Our job was to first plot a 50 x 50 meter site in the forest, then within that plot we marked a 10 x 10 meter site where we measured tree girth and measured the size and quantity of tree saplings and seedlings. Next, we measured a 5 x 5 meter site and counted shrubs. Finally, we measured out a 1 x 1 meter plot and counted every blade of grass and herbs.
Counting the grass was a little tedious!
Cedar tree pine cones look like flowers!
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