Post by radha on Jun 16, 2012 8:50:45 GMT 5.5
OM SRI GURUPYO NAMAHA:,RESPECTFUL PRANAMS TO SRI KANCHI MAHA PERIVA.
Our forefathers have also mentioned auspicious asterisms and favourable months and days for sowing seeds or planting different types of saplings.
To make the gardens and parks more beautiful, ancient Indians planted trees in rows (avenues), in groups or clusters, spacing them in such a way that the distance between two trees would be not less than ten feet and in between the trees flower plants were made to grow.
Many tips are given in books on horticulture about the attractive patterns in which trees and plants should be arranged - in the form of Nandyavarta., swastika, Mandapa, Sarvatobhadra etc. Plants, though they need good sunlight and open air, deserve protection from dew, storm, smoke, fire and heavy rains. For example, flowering trees should be planted in the middle of the row of trees, fruit giving trees should be planted and protected with walls having ditches around them.
To protect plants and trees from hailstorm they should be smeared on all sides with the ash of a tree hit by lightning. Ancient Indians looked after the plants and trees as members of their family (as we see in Kalidasa’s portrayal of Shakuntala’s love towards plants, particularly the Jasmine creeper Vanajyotsna). Destruction of plants was regarded as serious offence and the culprit was severely punished.
In Atharvaveda and in some Buddhist texts fungi and pestiferous insects are referred to and the gardener was punished for negligence. Even religious methods are mentioned in ‘Upavanavinoda’ for the protection of plant life from moths, insects, ants etc.
Newly planted trees should be watered both in the morning and evening. In hemanta or sisira trees should be watered on alternate days, in spring every day and during summer both morning and evening. Any weed, creepers, grass etc., growing next to plants should be removed.
Many tips for the healthy growth of the trees are given. During rainy and autumn seasons when it does not rain, a circular ditch (alavala) under the tree should be filled with water. Sometimes the water poured will not get absorbed in the soil, it indicates indigestion, and in such a case water should not be poured.
Maintenance of public parks and preservation of plant life depend mainly on availability of water. In dry places where rainfall was scarce it was advised to draw water from underground for irrigation. Since underground water had to be ascertained by several means like vegetable growth on the ground, it developed into an art in ancient India.
It is believed that Varahamihira took up this subject in “Brhatsamhita” which forms the only
source about the state of hydrological knowledge in ancient India.
This art was called ‘Dakargala,’ the term evidently refers to the determination of subsoil water (daka) with the help of a wooden stick (argala), an art still practised in our country. From such information from other works like Krishiparasara we can gather that ancient Indians were probably the greatest water harvesters in the world. They evolved a vast variety of water harvesting systems for agriculture, horticulture and even household purposes. These practices speak of a highly specialised surface hydrology and water management in ancient India.
Ancient scientists had made a thorough study of the water veins running up and down underground. From the central vein (mahasira) hundreds of other veins spread around known by the name ‘Kumuda’. Equipped with thorough knowledge of the pattern of these water-veins, experts were able to explore underground water.
Presence of underground water was ascertained by experts from the growth of certain trees in dry regions, from the position of anthills near the trees, presence of living creatures under the trees, close growth of two or three different types of trees, growth of grass, from the bent branch of a tree and so on. Works like Sivatattva Ratnakara, have provided lengthy chapters on this particular topic.
Ancient Indian seers had established that plants were prone to diseases like human beings and preventive and curative medicines and treatment were prescribed for them. Mention is made of diseases of trees born of three humours - vata, pitta and kapha and remedies prescribed for them. Remedies are also prescribed when trees are eaten by insects, scorched by fire, broken by wind or hit by thunder bolt.
In modern times scientists claim to have made astounding contribution to the science of botanical marvels by bringing into existence some botanical products out of combination of several things. A few treatises contain details though they appear to be unscientific, which prove the fact that such botanical marvels were created in ancient India.
From these accounts we may justly feel proud that creation of botanical marvels was not absolutely unknown in our country.
Creating botanical marvels by adopting different techniques is an interesting subject included in ancient works on horticulture and this has received sufficient attention in our ancient literature, particularly in describing the beauty of heroines. (Asoka tree bearing flowers when kicked by beautiful Malavika.)
A few books dealing with ancient Indian horticulture have included a section called ‘Dohadantaram’ (different types of fertilisers) which mention a few other techniques to create botanical marvels and which may be called poetic conventions like kicking, spitting, embracing, gazing at dry trees by beautiful maidens to make them yield lots of flowers and fruits.
Ancient texts on horticulture contain a few sections bringing out different methods of beautifying gardens and parks. Creeper bowers, small lotus ponds, artificial caves, one or two swings, mounds and artificial peaks etc. be made. Provision should be made for the free movement of peacocks and other birds. Mounds in ponds were made to attract different species of birds to maintain the ecosystem.
The anthology of different topics related to plant life, horticulture etc. presented in ancient Sanskrit texts throw light on the highly developed state of arboriculture in ancient India.
No doubt, our ancients were thinking of religion and philosophy but along with it they evinced great interest in subjects like horticulture and were endowed with the capacity and enthusiasm to do analytical thinking and scientific experiments those days when adequate resources were wanting. A study of the Vedas and ancient works like Upavanaverioda reveal that trees and plants were worshipped by our forefathers.
They gave importance to both religious and emotional factors related to plant life to save them from all sorts of destruction. Vedic Indians had established that plants are also living beings with the difference that their consciousness is internal or dormant, they too have feelings of pleasure and pain.
Source : Radha Krishnamurthy
Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Charanam
Our forefathers have also mentioned auspicious asterisms and favourable months and days for sowing seeds or planting different types of saplings.
To make the gardens and parks more beautiful, ancient Indians planted trees in rows (avenues), in groups or clusters, spacing them in such a way that the distance between two trees would be not less than ten feet and in between the trees flower plants were made to grow.
Many tips are given in books on horticulture about the attractive patterns in which trees and plants should be arranged - in the form of Nandyavarta., swastika, Mandapa, Sarvatobhadra etc. Plants, though they need good sunlight and open air, deserve protection from dew, storm, smoke, fire and heavy rains. For example, flowering trees should be planted in the middle of the row of trees, fruit giving trees should be planted and protected with walls having ditches around them.
To protect plants and trees from hailstorm they should be smeared on all sides with the ash of a tree hit by lightning. Ancient Indians looked after the plants and trees as members of their family (as we see in Kalidasa’s portrayal of Shakuntala’s love towards plants, particularly the Jasmine creeper Vanajyotsna). Destruction of plants was regarded as serious offence and the culprit was severely punished.
In Atharvaveda and in some Buddhist texts fungi and pestiferous insects are referred to and the gardener was punished for negligence. Even religious methods are mentioned in ‘Upavanavinoda’ for the protection of plant life from moths, insects, ants etc.
Newly planted trees should be watered both in the morning and evening. In hemanta or sisira trees should be watered on alternate days, in spring every day and during summer both morning and evening. Any weed, creepers, grass etc., growing next to plants should be removed.
Many tips for the healthy growth of the trees are given. During rainy and autumn seasons when it does not rain, a circular ditch (alavala) under the tree should be filled with water. Sometimes the water poured will not get absorbed in the soil, it indicates indigestion, and in such a case water should not be poured.
Maintenance of public parks and preservation of plant life depend mainly on availability of water. In dry places where rainfall was scarce it was advised to draw water from underground for irrigation. Since underground water had to be ascertained by several means like vegetable growth on the ground, it developed into an art in ancient India.
It is believed that Varahamihira took up this subject in “Brhatsamhita” which forms the only
source about the state of hydrological knowledge in ancient India.
This art was called ‘Dakargala,’ the term evidently refers to the determination of subsoil water (daka) with the help of a wooden stick (argala), an art still practised in our country. From such information from other works like Krishiparasara we can gather that ancient Indians were probably the greatest water harvesters in the world. They evolved a vast variety of water harvesting systems for agriculture, horticulture and even household purposes. These practices speak of a highly specialised surface hydrology and water management in ancient India.
Ancient scientists had made a thorough study of the water veins running up and down underground. From the central vein (mahasira) hundreds of other veins spread around known by the name ‘Kumuda’. Equipped with thorough knowledge of the pattern of these water-veins, experts were able to explore underground water.
Presence of underground water was ascertained by experts from the growth of certain trees in dry regions, from the position of anthills near the trees, presence of living creatures under the trees, close growth of two or three different types of trees, growth of grass, from the bent branch of a tree and so on. Works like Sivatattva Ratnakara, have provided lengthy chapters on this particular topic.
Ancient Indian seers had established that plants were prone to diseases like human beings and preventive and curative medicines and treatment were prescribed for them. Mention is made of diseases of trees born of three humours - vata, pitta and kapha and remedies prescribed for them. Remedies are also prescribed when trees are eaten by insects, scorched by fire, broken by wind or hit by thunder bolt.
In modern times scientists claim to have made astounding contribution to the science of botanical marvels by bringing into existence some botanical products out of combination of several things. A few treatises contain details though they appear to be unscientific, which prove the fact that such botanical marvels were created in ancient India.
From these accounts we may justly feel proud that creation of botanical marvels was not absolutely unknown in our country.
Creating botanical marvels by adopting different techniques is an interesting subject included in ancient works on horticulture and this has received sufficient attention in our ancient literature, particularly in describing the beauty of heroines. (Asoka tree bearing flowers when kicked by beautiful Malavika.)
A few books dealing with ancient Indian horticulture have included a section called ‘Dohadantaram’ (different types of fertilisers) which mention a few other techniques to create botanical marvels and which may be called poetic conventions like kicking, spitting, embracing, gazing at dry trees by beautiful maidens to make them yield lots of flowers and fruits.
Ancient texts on horticulture contain a few sections bringing out different methods of beautifying gardens and parks. Creeper bowers, small lotus ponds, artificial caves, one or two swings, mounds and artificial peaks etc. be made. Provision should be made for the free movement of peacocks and other birds. Mounds in ponds were made to attract different species of birds to maintain the ecosystem.
The anthology of different topics related to plant life, horticulture etc. presented in ancient Sanskrit texts throw light on the highly developed state of arboriculture in ancient India.
No doubt, our ancients were thinking of religion and philosophy but along with it they evinced great interest in subjects like horticulture and were endowed with the capacity and enthusiasm to do analytical thinking and scientific experiments those days when adequate resources were wanting. A study of the Vedas and ancient works like Upavanaverioda reveal that trees and plants were worshipped by our forefathers.
They gave importance to both religious and emotional factors related to plant life to save them from all sorts of destruction. Vedic Indians had established that plants are also living beings with the difference that their consciousness is internal or dormant, they too have feelings of pleasure and pain.
Source : Radha Krishnamurthy
Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Charanam