The interplay between environment and religion creates a strong sense of connection between humans and nature, leading to the concept of eco-spirituality. In the tribal community, people are intimately linked with nature and rely heavily on their local ecosystems for their livelihoods. As such, they have developed religious beliefs, taboos, and rituals that help to protect the environment. In the recent socio-religious movement of Jharkhand, tribal groups are calling for a separate religious identity known as ‘Sarna Dharma’ to preserve their culture, specifically their nature-based religion. Various tribal groups of Jharkhand are nature-worshipers, and their deity is the Sal tree, from where the concept of ‘Sarna Dharma’ arrived. The movement is focused on worshiping nature and achieving a separate identity to promote environmental protection through religion. Jharkhand is home to 32 tribal groups, with major groups such as Oraon, Santhal, Munda, and Ho leading the way. This paper aims to explore the journey of the “Sarna” movement and the concept of a new religious identity that promotes harmony between humans and nature. The study draws on secondary data and preliminary fieldwork. The major findings highlight the power of the tribal movement for religious identity and the urgent need for environmental preservation. The success of achieving "Sarna" as a separate tribal religion in Jharkhand at the state level is a significant step towards recognizing the importance of eco-spirituality in preserving our environment.
