The mystical Brahma Kamal flower is the state flower of Uttarakhand. While it is a part of prayer offerings across the higher regions of Uttarakhand, there exists a tradition in the lower Johar valley villages where villagers trek to a near by Himalayan glacier  to collect the very rare  flower to offer it to Goddess Nanda Devi. It is believed that customarily very few (some accounts say just two) people were sent on this arduous trek to the glaciers to collect the flowers and only the mature flowers would be plucked. Moreover, the villagers also had to seek permission of the Godess Nanda Devi before plucking it. This is nothing but conservation efforts intertwined with religious practices. However with time, consumerism and greed to get more has lead to incessant plucking of the rare flowers for sale in the black market. A survey conducted by scientists at Wildlife Institute of India (WII) found there has been a staggering 70% decline in the numbers of Brahma Kamal flower species to previous years. The survey was conducted in the Panch Kedar region of Uttarakhand and the report was published in the book Nature Guide. This needs to be addressed immediately otherwise the Dev Bhoomi will lose it mythical, mystical and ever beautiful - Brahma Kamal.