[20] SACRED TRADITION AND ECOLOGICAL WISDOM AMONG THE BHUTIA COMMUNITY OF SIKKIM : How to Cite the Article: Sangay Diki Bhutia (2026). Sacred Tradition and Ecological Wisdom Among the Bhutia Community of Sikkim. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, 5(7),286-293.  https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i7.2026.286-293

Dr. Sangay Diki Bhutia

Authors

Dr. Sangay Diki Bhutia Post-Doctoral Fellow (ICSSR), Department of Anthropology, Sikkim University.

Abstract

Indigenous religious traditions have served as important repositories of ecological knowledge. This knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation in the Bhutia community of Sikkim. This study explores the relationship between ecology and how religion safeguards the conservation of forests, water sources, wildlife, and biodiversity. The present study is the result of ethnographic fieldwork conducted among the Bhutia community. The study locates the importance of religion and ecology in the preservation of natural resources. The study emphasises that the Bhutia community’s religious tradition constitutes an important source of indigenous ecological knowledge and offers valuable guidance in contemporary times, when modernisation, socio-cultural transformation and climate change have a great impact on traditional practices.