Property:Religious use description

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Pages using the property "Religious use description"

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Cedrus deodara +	Among Hindus it is worshipped as a divine tree, particularly in Kashmir and Punjab villages, as the name deodar suggests. The first half of the word deva means the words divine, deity, deus, and Zeus and the second part connotes durum, druid, tree, and true. Several Hindu legends refer to this tree. In Valmiki Ramayan Forests full of Devadaru trees were the favorite abode or living place of ancient Indian sages and their families who were devoted to Hindu god Shiva for whom they performed very difficult tapasya (meditation) to please him.  +
Curcuma longa +	Turmeric paste is applied to the body of the bride before marriage to cleanse the body and make it more radiant. On religious occasions, Turmeric is applied to the forehead of devotees and also the forehead of the statues of gods.  +
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Hiptage benghalensis +	Vrindavan, atleast in olden times, was full of this plant and it created a beautiful atmosphere, with its fragrant and three-colored flowers. It was said that those who desired peace came to Vrindavan, one of the reason being the presence of ''Atimukta'' or Hiptage trees.  +
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Jasminum sambac +	Jasmine flowers are used in many religious occasions as offerings to Gods. Garlands made from Jasmine flowers, as shown above, are adorned by women during special occasions.  +
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Mimusops elengi +	It is said that Lord Krishna liked Bakul flowers very much. He used to play his flute underneath a Bakul tree in Vrindavan and the milkmaids used to get attracted towards the sound of the flute. Even today, Bakul flowers are offered during the worship of Lord Krishna. The ancient poet Kalidasa mentioned the Bakul tree in his creation Meghdoot. The plant is also listed in Charaka Samhita and Shushruta Samhita as having medicinal properties.  +
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Nelumbo nucifera +	Lotus is a symbol of purity and innocence. It is the seat of Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. It is most significantly associated with Lord Brahma. Lotus flowers are used as offerings in Indian temples.  +
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Ocimum tenuiflorum +	Tulsi, which is Sanskrit for "the incomparable one", is worshiped throughout India, most often regarded as a consort of Vishnu in the form of Mahalakshmi. There are two types of Tulsi worshiped in Hinduism—"Rama Tulsi" has light green leaves and is larger in size; "Krishna Tulsi" has dark green leaves and is important for the worship of Vishnu. Many Hindus have tulsi plants growing in front of or near their home, often in special Tulsi pots. It is also frequently grown next to Vishnu temples, especially in Varanasi. In the ceremony of Tulsi Vivah, Tulsi is ceremonially married to Vishnu annually on the eleventh bright day or twelfth of the month of Kartika in the lunisolar calendar. That day also marks the end of the four month cāturmāsya period, which is considered inauspicious for weddings and other rituals, and so the day inaugurates the annual marriage season in India. The ritual lighting of lamps each evening during Kartika includes the worship of the Tulsi plant, which is considered auspicious for the home. Vaishnavas especially follow the daily worship of Tulsi during Kartika. Vaishnavas traditionally use japa malas made from tulsi stems or roots, which are an important symbol of initiation. Tulsi malas are considered to be auspicious for the wearer, and believed to put them under the protection of Vishnu or Krishna. They have such a strong association with Vaishnavas, that followers of Vishnu have long been called "those who bear the tulasi round the neck".  +
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Phyllanthus emblica +	Significance in worship of Goddess Lakshmi  +
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Santalum album +	The heartwood of Sandal is used in religious pujas to make "Chandan pastes". These pastes are applied to the forehead of gods and of the worshipers. Sandalwood oil is also used in incense sticks used in such pujas. The oil is also offered in the sacred Yajna fires.  +
Saraca indica +	The ashoka tree is closely associated with the Yakshi mythological beings. One of the recurring elements in Indian art, often found at gates of Buddhist and Hindu temples, is the sculpture of a Yakshi with her foot on the trunk and her hands holding the branch of a flowering ashoka tree. As an artistic element, often the tree and the Yakshi are subject to heavy stylization. Some authors hold that the young girl at the foot of this tree is based on an ancient fertility symbol. The ashoka tree has a symbolic importance in Buddhism. Queen Māyā of Sakya is said to have given birth to the Buddha under an ashoka tree in a garden in Lumbini. According to tradition, the queen walked in the garden until she came to an ashoka tree to take a rest. Then the tree magically bent down for her and she grasped a branch. At that moment the Buddha emerged from her right side. Yakshis under ashoka trees were also important in early Buddhist monuments as a decorative element and are found in many ancient Buddhist archaeological sites. With the passing of the centuries the yakshi under the ashoka tree became a standard decorative element of Hindu Indian sculpture and was integrated into Indian temple architecture as salabhanjika, because there is often a confusion between the ashoka tree and the sal tree (Shorea robusta) in the ancient literature of the Indian Subcontinent. This tree is also regarded with veneration in Jainism. In the Jain tradition Mahavira is said to have renounced the world under this kind of tree in Vaishali. In Hinduism the ashoka is considered a sacred tree. Not counting a multitude of local traditions connected to it, the ashoka tree is worshipped in Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu Calendar. It is also associated with Kamadeva, the Hindu god of Love, who included an Ashoka blossom among the five flowers in his quiver. Hence, the ashoka tree is often mentioned in classical Indian religious and amorous poetry, having at least 16 different names in Sanskrit referring to the tree or its flowers. In Mahākāvya, or Indian epic poetry, the ashoka tree is mentioned in the Ramayana in reference to the Ashoka Vatika (garden of Ashoka trees) where Hanuman first meets Sita.  +