The Aravallies have added up to the beauty of Rajasthan to a great extent. They are heavily forested and therefore are the refuge of birds and animals.Human beings have degraded the natural environment to an extreme as a result of which deforestation has taken place. Still wherever there are thick reserves the original inhabitants and the migrant species are still preserved.
It has been observed that there is a rise in the ground level when the Aravalli range is traced north to the Himalayas. This rise in the ground level has in fact led to the turning of the river Yamuna eastwards to join the river Ganges at Allahabad.To the North West of the Aravallies are Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner regions, it is the home of arid plains and the shifting sad dunes of the great Thar Desert. In northern parts of Aravallies various forms of sacred groves are maintained.
These are known askankar bani, rakhat bani, dev ouranya, vall and dev bani. These groves constitute a larger area and are found in plenty. These groves can be classified into three distinct groups. The first group consisting of the ones close to the village and the water source. Such groves are also at the top of small hillocks in Aravallies, where people worship Bheruji, Bawsi and Mataji.
Rich in Natural Resources
Due to their location and extent, difference in altitudinal and rainfall the vegetation is rich and varies greatly from tropical thorn forests to semi evergreen forests.The Aravalli Range is rich in natural resources (including minerals) and serves as a check to the growth of the western desert. It gives rise to several rivers, including the Banas, Luni, Sakhi, and Sabarmati. Though heavily forested in the south, it is generally bare and thinly populated, consisting of large areas of sand and stone and of masses of rose-coloured quartzite. |