4. Importance of Flora

Harshacharita (socio-cultural Study)

by Mrs. Nandita Sarmah | 2014 | 67,792 words

This page relates 鈥業mportance of Flora鈥� of the English study on the Harshacharita: A Sanskrit (poetical work) which can be studied as a Historical book of Indian society during the 7th century. It was originally written by Banabhatta who based his Harsacarita on the life of the Gupta emperor Harshavardhana. This study researches the religion, philosophy, flora and fauna and society of ancient India as reflected in the Harsha-Charita.

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4. Importance of Flora

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From the ancient times and till date, people are giving importance to flora. They make good names such as鈥擩utik膩, 惭补濒濒颈办腻 etc. Flora was so important in the pauranic time that the people, even the 诲惫墨辫补蝉 and janapadas were named after some plants.^[1] The study of the 贬补谤峁肠谤颈迟补 reveals that in 7^th century A.D. India was covered with long betel of forests. In the 贬补谤峁肠谤颈迟补, the writer B膩峁嘺bha峁弓a has given very interesting description of 痴颈苍诲丑测腻峁璦惫墨; such that seeing the beauty of this forest the 惫补苍补诲别惫补迟腻 came to have entertained there.^[2] In the 碍腻诲补尘产补谤墨 also, there are many names of trees and plants mentioned while giving the description of Vindhya forest.^[3] It is found in the 惭补迟蝉测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 also that the gods and the goddesses liked to live in and around floral environment.^[4] In this context, various types of flora were referred in the 贬补谤峁肠谤颈迟补. They are mentioned in brief below-

1 Trees:

Udumbara (p.21), 艣腻濒尘补濒颈 (p.124), candana (p.108), agaru (bark, p.116), 苍腻濒颈办别濒补 (p.118, 126), 蝉补丑补办腻谤补 (mango tree, p.123), 驳补耻艣墨谤峁 (a kind of fragrant sandal, p.117), rodhra (p.124), 颈办峁 (p.123), 艣腻濒补诲谤耻尘补 (a big tree, p.125), khadira (a very tough tree, p.125), nameru, sarala (pine tree, p.126), mucukunda (p.127), 诲别惫补诲腻谤耻 (p.127), 迟腻濒补 (p.127), 办补谤补帽箩补 (a wild tree, p.23), 蝉补诲腻辫丑补濒补 (a kind of tree, p. 126) etc.

2 Plants:

痴颈诲腻谤墨 (p.131), 艣补迟腻惫补谤墨 (known as 苍腻谤腻测补峁嚹�,p.131), agaru (bark,p.116), 办峁涐梗峁嚹乬补谤耻 (black aloe, p.116), 办补诲补濒颈办腻 (plantain tree,p.549), 迟腻尘产耻濒补 (betel,p.121), 产颈箩补诲丑腻苍颈 (granaries of wild corn,p.123), 辫颈肠补惫测腻苍腻 (a cotton plants,p.124), kalpadruma (p.34), 办耻峁ａ弓丑补 (p.124), 蝉苍耻丑腻 (a milk hedge plant,p.124), urubuka or 别谤补峁囜笉补 (castor plant, p.124), agasti (p.124), 蝉测腻尘补濒补迟腻 (p.127), 苍腻驳补诲补尘补苍补 (p.126), 丑颈峁単耻 (p.126), 办补辫颈办补肠肠丑奴 (p.22), 办补濒辫补濒补迟腻 (a mythical plant, p.132), 办补濒辫补惫峁沰峁 (p.132), 惫补肠腻, 惫补峁単补办补, suraja (p.124) etc.

3 Flowers:

B膩峁嘺bha峁弓a describes a significant flower known as 补峁ａ弓补辫耻峁颈办腻^[5] in both his gadyak膩vyas in the 贬补谤峁肠谤颈迟补 and in the 碍腻诲补尘产补谤墨. Here, 补峁ａ弓补辫耻峁颈办腻 is a bunch of eight flowers. Other various flowers are 狈补惫补尘补濒濒颈办腻 (Jasmine, a white flower of the hot season,p.139), 辫腻峁璦濒补 (a kind of fragrant summer flower, which sent is very strong.p.23), 办补谤峁噄办腻谤补 (a flower with excellent colours but no fragrance (people also adorn it) p.126), 办别迟补办墨 (p.137), 蝉别辫丑腻濒颈办腻 (p.127), 办耻峁璦箩补 (p.127), 谤补办迟腻艣辞办补 (p.126), 测耻迟丑颈办腻 (p.125), campaka (p.126), 尘补苍诲腻谤补 (p.23), madhuka (p.124), 尘补濒濒颈办腻 (p.137), 诲丑腻迟补办墨 (p.124), kamala, padma (a pale lotus,p.108,28,69), kumuda, 办补耻尘耻诲墨 (a white night lotus,p.60,117,71), kuvalaya (a blue lotus,p.61), kairava (white lotuses that expand it nightfall,p.93), tagara (p.118), kadamba (p.127), 办颈帽肠耻办补 (p.124), 辫腻谤颈箩腻迟补办补 (p.62), kuravaka (p.135), 蝉颈苍诲丑耻惫腻谤补 (p.2), 艣颈谤墨峁 (p.63), 办腻艣补 (p.137), bandhuka (a kind of red flower, p.93) etc.

4 Grasses:

碍耻艣补 (p.35,130), 诲耻谤惫腻 (p.108), 艣腻谤补 (p.131), 办腻艣补 (p.123), darbha (p.133), 濒腻尘补箩箩补办补 (a kind of fragrant grass, p.124), 驳补惫别诲丑耻办腻 (a grass eaten by cattle, p.124), valvaga (p.124), garmut (p.124), nala (a kind of fragrant grass), 惫补峁兣沘 (bamboo) etc.

5 Creepers:

艢测腻尘补濒补迟腻 (p.125), 濒补惫补濒墨 (p.127), 办补峁璾办补 (long and black pepper,p.120) etc.

6 Vegetables:

笔墨濒耻 (p.127), 艣腻办补 (vegetables or leaves and shoots of bamboo, p.113), 迟谤补辫耻峁 (cucumber, p.123), lakuca (a bread fruit tree, p.128) etc.

7 Crops:

Various types of crops are also mentioned in the 贬补谤峁肠谤颈迟补. They are 苍墨惫腻谤补 (a wild rice growing without cultivation, p.21,128), 艣腻濒颈, 峁峁ａ弓岣ka (a kind of rice, p.123), 惫补苍测补诲丑腻苍测补 (wild corn, p.123), 谤腻箩补尘腻峁 (a kind of bean, p.123), 办丑补峁囜笉补 (candied sugar, p.113), 艣测腻尘腻办补 (a king of grain, p.21) etc.