Branches of wisdom

A symposium on traditional trees throws light on India's ancient knowledge

- Pooja Biraia Jaiswal

Goa Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai inaugurated a day-long symposium on the traditional trees of India, titled 'Vriksha Vygnanika Sadassu', at the Raj Bhavan on April 21. In attendance were experts from various fields who presented papers on traditional trees that have been worshipped over the years in India. “Trees shelter thousands of creatures of all kinds—algae, fungi, insects, squirrels, birds, snakes and other reptiles, animals and humans,” Pillai told THE WEEK. “Every single part of a tree is useful, either as food, medicine, fuel, timber, or as source material for building various things. We must understand and appreciate their indispensable and invaluable existence on the planet.”

In their research paper titled, 'Indian traditional trees and their scientific relevance', researchers Amit Kumar Tiwari, Indrajeet Chaudhary and Alok Kumar Pandey mentioned how bel (Aegle marmelos) and rudrak-sha (seed of Elaeocarpus) were associated with Shiva, peepal tree with Vishnu, mango (Mangifera indica) with Hanuman and Ashoka tree with Kamadeva.

With the vedic civilisation and the knowledge of ayurveda, they added, society came to worship tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), peepal (Ficus religiosa), banyan (Ficus benghalensis) and neem (Azadirachta indica) for their medical importance.