Rooted in faith

Indian culture strongly emphasises the principle of harmony, especially between natural and man – a principle highlighted by the importance given to different trees in mythology and religious traditions

Trees have been considered sacred in many cultures and religions the world over, across many millennia. One of the most popular episodes in Hindu religion is detailed in the Bhagavata Purana, an ancient text written in Sanskrit, which mentions the churning of the ocean of milk by the gods and the demons for the sake of amrita or ambrosia, which would grant immortality to those who drank it. During the process of churning, many objects arose from the ocean – one of which was the kalpa vriksha (also called kalpa taru and kalpa druma), the celestial wish-yielding tree. The tree was taken by Indra, the leader of the gods, to his celestial garden. Representations of this tree are often depicted in stone sculptures of ancient India. Other ancient works, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata, contain numerous references to various trees in different regions of India.

Ancient Indian art depicts tree goddesses called vriksha devatas or sala bhanjikas in stone. These deities are shown entwining their bodies around the branches of a tree or holding a branch with their hand. Their mere touch was enough to make a tree bloom. They are usually shown grasping the branch of a sal or ashoka tree. These vriksha devatas represent fertility and prosperity and hence their repeated representation in temple sculptures. Incidentally, Queen Maya is said to have given birth to Gautama Buddha in Lumbini garden (Nepal) under an ashoka tree (or sal, according to some sources), grasping its branch.