Great but India is missing

[smascrns]

As the title says. No Banyan tree, no Indian Fig (different from the Mediterranean one mentionned in the column). And no Tulsi which is not a tree but a bush.

[Jennifer]

No. I did not "miss" India.

The Bo under which Buddha (Bodhi) found his enlightenment is a species of Banyan Fig. The rest of the banyan were considered sacred, but it was just a general sacredness I decided not to bother with. The Bo has an actual legend attached to it.

But Sandalwood... you apparently skipped over.

"In Indian mythology, the God Ganesha was created by Parvati from sandalwood paste that She had rubbed over her body before a bath. The paste is smeared on the foreheads of devotees of Vishnu and Shiva. It is particularly placed as a dot or tilak in the forehead between the eyebrows where Hindus believe power resides and can be awakened."

So you can just edit this title, because I soooo did not miss India.

I only assume you had no such comment for "Poisons and Gaming" because it was blatantly perfect. ;) :D

[smascrns]

Well, I assumed the link between the Bo and the Banyan, but Japan is Japan and India is India. I called the attention to the Banyan because I live in India and it has such a prevalent presence in hindu rituals around here. I'm not an expert on the issue, I just see it, that's all. From here it seems odd to find not even a passing mention to the Banyan.

To be honest, I passed the reference to Ganesh under the Sandalwood. Interestingly enough, I read a couple of myths of the creation of Ganesh and none has the link to sandalwood. In the ones I read he was a statue created by the godess. Granted, the versions I read are those directed at a wide public, so they may skip of simplify on details. Or it just happens that there may be several different myths relating the creation of Ganesh, some where he is created from sandalwood, others where he is not. In any case, seen from here it seems odd to make a reference to a somewhat minor myth of the hindu pantheom that has reference to a tree that is not sacred in most other terms, while missing the most sacred tree of the hindu religion.

Yes, the column on poisons is great, I just had nothing to add.

Notice that other than the issue about trees in hinduism, the column has a lot of material, a good deal of which I knew nothing about. I hope you turn it into a series of columns covering bushes, food plants, etc.

And didn't you find any myth associated with the olive tree? I'm not sure if there is any but I suspect that there must be one or another in mediterranean cultures.

[Jennifer]

No Japan mentioned in Wikipedia....

The Bodhi tree was a large and very old specimen of the Sacred Fig, located at the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya (about 100 km from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar) under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, arrived at Bodhi. The Bodhi Tree belongs to the Sacred Figs (Ficus religiosa), also known as Bo, Pipul (Peepal) or Ashwattha trees, which are sacred to Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is easily recognizable from its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed.

The term "Bodhi tree" is also widely applied to currently existing trees, particularly the Sacred Fig growing at the Mahabodhi Temple, which is probably a direct descendant of the original specimen. This tree is a frequent destination for pilgrims, being the most important of the four holy sites for Buddhists. Other holy Bodhi trees which have a great significance in the history of Buddhism are the Anandabodhi tree in Sravasti and the Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura. Both are believed to have been propagated from the original Bodhi tree.



As for Banyan Trees, being in the US, thetexts I have did not mention Banyans other than
In Hindu religion, the banyan tree is considered sacred and is called 'Ashwath Vriksha' ('I am Banyan tree among trees' - Bhagavad Geeta). It represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches.

I simply did not find a legend associated with it that gave it a "World/Life Tree feel. Since figs are generally sacred no matter where you go... I figured a general entry on the fig would pass muster.

If you would be so kind as to add any of the legends here, I would appreciate it.

The sandalwood was used because of the additional use in terms of history. Sandalwood's been around as a trade item forever.

Again, with olive, the olive tree is considered sacred and has some magic associated with it, but it is not considered a world or life tree in mythology and I was focusing on the mythological trees since there was so many of them.

[arvind]

Nice ... i am also an indian.
i like this topic very much.
i am also from bihar and from patna boring road

thanks for this post.