Flora of the indian epic period

Flora of the indian epic period

1. Flora of the Indian epic period (An approach to understand Ancient literature & plants) Rohit Mondal B.Sc (Life Science) 3 rd yr Roll no.- 7030 /16 SEC- Ethnobotany

2. Content Introduction The ancient literature and plants Archaeological  evidence Vedic Culture Puranmic Literature Mention of some ancient significant plants Flora of the Ramayana Epic Mention of some Ramayana epic plants Flora of the Mahabharata Epic Mention of some Mahabharata epic plants References

3. Introduction India was one of the foremost developed countries in ancient times. Learned persons of vedic culture were aware regarding unimaginable obligation of plants for the sustenance of life. There are a number of verses in ancient literature depicting this generosity of plant kingdom. No wonder that many such plants species have been revered as God . One of the oldest treaties in the world is Rigveda (4500 BC-1000 BC) where healing properties of some herbs are mentioned in the form of sonnets, which were often recited in religious rituals. There are records in ancient scripts regarding periodic conferences, seminars and also workshops in selected areas where exchange of knowledge was often manifested. Even it was mentioned that women scholars like Maitrai , Mata Gargi contributed some knowledge about medicinal plants and their maintenance.

4. Sita at Ashokavana under Ashoka tree ( Saraca asoca ) in epic Ramayana. Hanuman is seen on the tree Bhishma on his death-bed of arrows with the  Pandavas  and Krishna - Folio from the  Razmnama (1761 - 1763), Persian translation of the Mahabharata, commissioned by Mughal emperor Akbar.

5. The Ancient literatures and plants Flora of the Indian epic period can be a tool to study the antiquity of Indian epics as these do not record time scales of the incident mentioned in these. The ancient Sanskrit epics, the  Ramayana  and  Mahabharata , also termed Itihāsa (History) or Mahākāvya ("Great Compositions"), refer to forest and plant life at various places. The language of these texts is the "Epic Sanskrit". The importance of forests in Indian epics can be understood from the fact that each epic devotes one book to the forests. In  Mahabharata  it is the  Aranyaka Parva  (also  Vana Parva ,   Aranya Parva ) (The Book of the Forest) which mentions the period of twelve years spent by Pandavas in exile in the forest ( aranya ) . The divisions of  Ramayana  into Kandas (Books) also includes one Kanda known as  Aranya Kanda  – Book of the Forest. In Ramayana  Kishkindha Kanda  – Book of  Kishkindha  also discusses the  geography  and  forestry  of the region.

6.  Archaeological evidence There is evidence that at this period a Dravidian civilization of a high order flourished in the country, with its roots in the far south, which apparently lived in consonance with the thick extensive forest and its wildlife. The Aryans were primarily pastoral people. To construct shelters for themselves and for their domesticated animals they cleared the forests wherever they went. But even so, being worshippers of Nature, they preferred for their abodes, and even for their educational centres , sylvan surroundings and inspiring landscape. It is in such setting that the Vedas, the Upanishads and the  Aranyakas  were composed which sing the glory of the Creator and lay down recepts of conduct for man to live righteously.

7. When the great epic   Ramayana   was written there were still dense forests in   Naimisharanya ,  Chitrakoot ,  Dandakaranya &   Panchavati   which abounded in wildlife. But by the time the  Mahabharata   was compiled, onslaughts had been made on   forests  and we read of the burning of the   Khandava Vana . To arrest such vandalism, which was adversely affecting the life of the people, some wise ancestor of ours must have declared cutting of trees a sin and planting and protecting them an act of piety. Several useful species of plants were thus saved from extinction, such as the Banyan, the  Pipal , the  Bel , etc. Even then some disappeared in course of time from particular areas, such as the  Kadam , the Ashok & the Bamboos from  Vrindavan . The forest of Khandava near Yamuna, being burnt by  Arjuna  and Krishna

8. Shershah Suri  planted trees along the Delhi-Patna Highway. The  Mughals  were not forest-minded as such, but they created exquisite gardens. Emperor Jahangir introduced the famous   Chinar  tree in the  valley of Kashmir  which has now become synonymous with Kashmir. The Mughals also maintained large  Shikargahs  for hunting. The  Ain -e- Akbari records that elephants roamed in the forests as far west as  Mhow  near Indore. But a century later Aurangzeb found only scrub forests near  Burhanpur . The Marathas and the  Gonds  planted mangoes and other useful trees along their marching routes and halting places, some of which are still surviving.

9. Vedic Culture India was one of the foremost developed countries in ancient times. Learned persons of  vedic culture were quite aware regarding unimaginable obligation of plants for the very sustenance of animal life. Though not scientifically proven at that time, they knew that the air we breath remains pleasant by surrounding plants. There are a number of verses in ancient literature depicting this generosity of vegetable kingdom. They have also realised that there is no conduct of life where the plant kingdom does not make its contribution like food, fuel, shelter, fiber, fodder and medicine. No wonder that many such plants species have been revered as God.

10. Puranmic Litretature Puranic  cosmography divides our earth into seven concentric islands. They are separated by the seven encircling seas. Seven intermediate oceans consist of salt-water, sugarcane juice, wine, ghee, curd, milk and water respectively All these  dvipas  are named after trees/plants in Sanskrit. Jambu  ( जम्बुद्वीप) :- Jambudvipa named after Jambū ( जंबू ) trees,  Syzygium cumini  (Indian Blackberry), is also known as  Sudarshanadvipa , forms the innermost concentric island in the above scheme. The fruits of the Jambu tree are said to be as large as elephants and when they become rotten and fall upon the crest of the mountains, a river of juice is formed from their expressed juice. The river so formed is called Jambunadi ( Jambu river) and flows through Jambudvipa , whose inhabitants drink its waters. Insular continent Jambudvipa is said to comprise nine  varsas  (zones) and eight significant  mountains .

11. Plaksha  ( प्लक्षद्वीप) :- Plaksa  is a possible Sanskrit term for the sacred fig of which botanical name is  Ficus religiosa . According to Macdonell and Keith (1912), it rather denotes the wavy-leaved Fig tree ( Ficus infectoria ). In Hindu texts, the Plaksa tree is associated with the source of the  Sarasvati River. Plaksa Pra-sravana denotes the place where the Sarasvati appears. In the Rigveda Sutras, Plaksa Pra-sravana refers to the source of the Sarasvati . Salmalidvipa  ( शाल्मलीद्वीप) :- The continent derives its name from  Śalmalī ( शाल्मली )  tree in  sanskrit  with Botanical name Bombax ceiba , commonly known as cotton tree or tree cotton. This tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage. Salmalidvipa is mentioned in Puranas as  parvata  touching the  Ikshurasoda samudra .

12. Pushkaradvipa  ( पुष्करद्वीप) :- The continent derives its name from plant named  Pushkara ( पुष्कर ) , Botanical name  Nelumbo nucifera , a handsome aquatic herb, Native to Greater India and commonly cultivated in water gardens, the lotus is the national flower of India and Vietnam.  Hindus believe that the gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma would perform a grand yagna . The place where the lotus fell was called  Pushkar . Kraunchadvipa  ( क्रौंचद्वीप ) T he continent derives its name from Sanskrit word  Krauncha ( क्रौंच) used for Curlew-heron. Krauncha-Vyuha ( क्रौंच व्‍युह) has been mentioned in Mahabharata war as a military formation on a pattern supposed to resemble a heron.

13. Flora of the Ramayan Epic The Indian epic Ramayana discusses the  Flora and fauna  of the places visited by Rama. Ramayana in  Bala Kanda  Sarga 24 mentions the crossing over of the River Ganges, sage Vishvamitra sails Rama and  Laxmana  through its confluence with River Sarayu , which flows at their capital Ayodhya . The sage leads them to a deadly forest on the other bank of River Ganges and narrates about the provinces Malada and Karusha . Here shlokas 12-18 mention about the forest trees and plants of the region. Ramayan-Kishkindha Kanda  Sarga 1 gives a description of Pampa Lake and writes about many forest trees in shlokas 73-83. In  Kishkindha Kanda  Sarga 40,  Sugreeva  orders vanara -s to search east under the leadership of Vinata , a mighty vanara . The identification of these species may prove to be great tool in identifying those places and writing of history. We produce here the names of plants and trees in Sanskrit language, their botanical names, local Hindi or English names and Sargas (Chapters) in which forests and tree species have been mentioned.

14. Flora of the Ramayan Epic Sanskrit name of plant ( Devanagari ) Botanical name Indian names Indian epic Sarga Images Location in epics Habit Present Habitat Agnimukha ( अग्निमुख) Semecarpus anacardium Hindi: Bhilawa , Bhela , Bhallaataka   English: Marking nut, Oriental cashee Ramayan Aranya Kanda Sarga 73 3.73.5 Matanga hermitage Moderate size Deciduous tree Found in the outer  Himalayas, Common in dry or moist deciduous forests Ankola ( अन्कोल) Alangium salviifolium Ankola Ramayan Kishkindha Kanda Sarga 1 4.1.80 Pampa Lake Tall thorny tree Found in  India ,  Western Africa ,  Madagascar ,  Southern Asia ,  Philippines and tropical  Australia, and the  Pacific Islands

15. Flora of the Ramayana Epic Arjuna ( अर्जुन) Terminalia arjuna Indian:Arjuna , Arjunasaadaddaa , Sanmadat , Vellamarda , Sadaru , Kahu , Shardul Ramayan Kishkindha Kanda Sarga 1 4.1.81 Pampa Lake A large evergreen tree Indigenous in  Africa  and  Indo-Malaysia  region. Cultivated all over  India Ashoka ( अशोक) Saraca asoca Ashoka Ramayan Kishkindha Kanda Sarga 1 4.1.79 Pampa Lake A middle sized evergreen tree Cultivated ingargens throughout  India Sanskrit name of plant ( Devanagari ) Botanical name Indian names Indian epic Sarga Images Location in epics Habit Present Habitat

16. Flora of the Ramayana Epic Sanskrit name of plant ( Devanagari ) Botanical name Indian names Indian epic Sarga Images Location in epics Habit Present Habitat Aśvattha ( अश्वत्थ) Ficus religiosa Pipal, Pimpalla, Bodhi Ramayan Aranya Kanda Sarga 73 3.73.3 Matanga hermitage A large or middle sized deciduous tree Sub-Himalayan  forests,  Bengal ,  Madhya Pradesh . Planted elsewhere Badari ( बदरी) Zizyphus mauritiana Indian: Ber, Bora Ramayan Bala Kanda Sarga 24 1.24.16 Malada  and  Karusha A small tree or large shrub usually armed Common in hotter parts of India, cultivated in gardens or found wild in waste places

17. Flora of the Ramayana Epic Sanskrit name of plant ( Devanagari ) Botanical name Indian names Indian epic Sarga Images Location in epics Habit Present Habitat Mālatī ( मालती) Jasminum sambac Common names include  Arabian Jasmine ,  Full  ( فل) ( Arabic ), Jaai /( ଜାଇ)  ( Oriya ),  Bel / Beli  ( Bengali ),  Ramayana Kishkindha Kanda Sarga 1 4.1.76 Pampa Lake A large scrambling or twining shrub Native to southeast and southern  Asia in  Indonesia , the  Philippines ,  India ,  Myanmar and   Sri Lanka Malati ( मालती) Jasminum grandiflorum Indian: Chameli , Jati , English:Common Jasmine, Spanish Jasmine Ramayana Kishkindha Kanda Sarga 1 4.1.76 Pampa Lake A large scrambling or twining shrub Native of N.H. Himalayas, wildly grown throughout  India

18. Flora of the Mahabharata Epic Legends of the Shami tree There is a little-known legend associated with  Vijayadashami  festival, one associated with the Mahabharata. For reasons impossible to delineate here, the  Pandavas  underwent a period of exile, being 12 years of dwelling in the forest followed by a year of exile incognito. Disguise being indispensable during the latter period, the Pandavas found it necessary to lay aside, for the length of that year, the many divine and distinctive weapons that they possessed such as  Arjuna's   Gandiva . These they secreted in a ' Shami ' tree ( Prosopis cineraria ) in the vicinity of their chosen place of incognito residence . It is said that the Shami tree chosen by the Pandavas stood inside a cremation ground. It was chosen to render detection that much less likely. The Pandavas wrapped their weapons in a white cloth and concealed this on that shami tree, making the weapons look like a dead body. Mahabharata Book IV  Virata Parva  Chapter 5 mentions that on the southerns bank of River Yamuna in Viratanagara hides his bow Gandiva in Shami tree

19. Flora of the Mahabharata Epic Sanskrit name of plant ( Devanagari ) Botanical name Indian names Indian epic Sarga Images Location in epics Habit Present Habitat Bilva बिल्वा Aegle marmelos Bel Mahabharata Vana Parva III.174.23 Dvaita Forest ,  Kurukshetra Sarasvati River A middle sized slender aromatic armed tree Indigenous central and southern  Asian countires .   Champaka चम्पक Michelia champaca Champa Mahabharata Anusasana Parva XIII.54.5 King  Kusika country A large or middle sized evergreen tree Native to  South Asia and   Southeast Asia .

20. Flora of the Mahabharata Epic Sanskrit name of plant ( Devanagari ) Botanical name Indian names Indian epic Sarga Images Location in epics Habit Present Habitat Palasa Butea monosperma Indian:  Palas , Dhak , Khakara , Kakracha English:Flame of the Forest Mahabharata Shalya Parva IX.36.58 Sarasvati River A medium-sized  deciduous  tree with somewhat crooked trunk Native to tropical southern  Asia Panasa पनस Artocarpus heterophyllus Indian: Kat- hal ( कटहल), Phannasa , English: Jack-fruit Mahabharata Shalya Parva IX.36.58 Sarasvati River A large evergreen tree Native to parts of South and  Southeast Asia .

21. Flora of the Mahabharata Epic Sanskrit name of plant ( Devanagari ) Botanical name Indian names Indian epic Sarga Images Location in epics Habit Present Habitat Ketaka केतक Pandanus tectorius Indian: Kewada , Ktetaki , Keura , Gagandhul Mahabharata AnusasanaParva XIII.54.4 King  Kusika country A densely branched shrub rarely erect Seacoast of  Indian Peninsula Khadira खदिर Acacia catechu Hindi : Khair , Khadira   English : Cutch, Catechu, Cachou, Black Cutch Mahabharata Vana Parva III.174.23 Dvaita Forest ,  Kurukshetra Sarasvati River A moderate sized deciduous, thorny tree It is found in  Asia ,  China ,  North Africa, Naturalized in all drier parts of  India.

22. References   Plant Cultures - picture details Archived 2007-11-13 at the  Wayback Machine.  K P Sagreiya : Forests and Forestry, National Book Trust, India, 2005, ISBN 81-237-1126-3, p.4  K P Sagreiya : Forests and Forestry, National Book Trust, India, 2005, ISBN 81-237-1126-3, pp.4-5  S G Joshi, Medicinal Plants, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi, 2004, ISBN 81-204-1414-4, p.xi  Agni Purana 108.1-2   Matsya Purana 121-122  D.S. Chauhan in Radhakrishna , B.P. and Merh , S.S. (editors): Vedic Sarasvati , 1999, p.35-44   Pancavimsa Brahmana , Jaiminiya Upanisad Brahmana , Katyayana Srauta Sutra, Latyayana Srauta ; Macdonell and Keith 1912 Asvalayana Srauta Sutra, Sankhayana Srauta Sutra; Macdonell and Keith 1912, II:55  O. Thompson, A History of Ancient Geography, London 1965 Bhagavad Gita (5.20.3-42) The Puranas : Vishnu Purana

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