BharatNotes Sanctuary
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
In an era of mass displacement, India's tradition of granting sanctuary to the persecuted — from Tibetan refugees to the Parsis centuries earlier — illustrates how a nation's moral standing in the world is measured not by the borders it guards but by the shelter it extends.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
sanctuaries (n pl), sanctify (v), sanctified (adj), sanctity (n), sanction (n/v)
Root
Latin sanctuarium = sacred place, shrine; sanctus = holy, sacred (from sancire = to consecrate); -arium = place suffix
Etymology
From Latin sanctuarium ("a sacred place, shrine"), from sanctus ("holy, sacred") — originally a place of religious refuge, the meaning expanded to include protected areas for wildlife from the 1930s onward.
Memory Hook
Root sanct- = 'holy' (as in sanctify, sacrosanct). A SANCTuary is a HOLY, set-apart place where you are safe — the sanctity of the spot grants protection.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A wildlife sanctuary is declared under Section 18 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, while a national park is declared under Section 35, and the difference in what humans may do inside is what questions turn on. A sanctuary permits regulated human activity, including grazing and the movement of livestock, with the Chief Wildlife Warden's permission, and private rights may continue where they survive the settlement process. A national park is stricter: no grazing is allowed and no private rights subsist, and only activity for the betterment of wildlife is permitted. Conservation reserves and community reserves extend a lighter form of protection to adjoining and community-held land where outright exclusion is impractical, and since 2022 the Centre may also notify a conservation reserve.
Don’t Confuse It With
A sanctuary under Section 18 permits regulated human use; a national park under Section 35 permits none beyond wildlife management. Conservation reserves and community reserves cover adjoining or community-held land under lighter regulation. A biosphere reserve is a UNESCO designation under the Man and the Biosphere Programme and is not a category under the Act at all, which is a frequent confusion. A tiger reserve is notified under the Act on the National Tiger Conservation Authority's recommendation and overlays existing parks and sanctuaries rather than replacing them. In ordinary English the word also means refuge or asylum for people, the sense used in the sentence above.
Hindi Meaning
अभयारण्य (abhayāranya); वन्यजीव अभयारण्य for a wildlife sanctuary, राष्ट्रीय उद्यान for a national park.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between a wildlife sanctuary and a national park?
- A sanctuary under Section 18 permits regulated activity such as grazing with the Chief Wildlife Warden's permission and private rights may continue, while a national park under Section 35 allows no grazing and no private rights.
- Is a biosphere reserve the same as a sanctuary?
- No. A biosphere reserve is a UNESCO designation under the Man and the Biosphere Programme, not a protected-area category created by the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2020 — Protected Areas
- Prelims 2017 — Protected Areas
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Sanctuary” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
