Neem leaves are strung on thresholds to ward off evil spirits, brides take ritual baths in neem-infused water, smoke from the neem tree is wafted into rooms to cleanse them, in a ceremony babies are laid upon neem leaves to provide them with a protective aura, snake-cults are associated with the neem tree, these are but few of the myriad ways in which the tree makes its mark on the psyche of the sub-continent.In eastern India, wooden images are made of the popular deities Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra; these are made in a pillar-like form with the face and body delineated but with no arms, and carved out of neem wood. The powerful goddess Kali is said to dwell on the tree and sometimes stones representing her are placed before the tree and worshipped. The bitter neem leaves are chewed with some jaggery in the south on new year's day or Ugadhi, to symbolise acceptance of the good with the bad. (Read more .... )
Thursday 13 November 2008
Neem
Neem has been labelled the wonder tree of the humid tropics. In India there are more than 20 million trees. Many parts of the neem tree have antimicrobial properties. They provide effective ingredients for traditional and modern toothpastes, medicines, cosmetics and insect repellents in South Asia.
Neem leaves are strung on thresholds to ward off evil spirits, brides take ritual baths in neem-infused water, smoke from the neem tree is wafted into rooms to cleanse them, in a ceremony babies are laid upon neem leaves to provide them with a protective aura, snake-cults are associated with the neem tree, these are but few of the myriad ways in which the tree makes its mark on the psyche of the sub-continent.In eastern India, wooden images are made of the popular deities Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra; these are made in a pillar-like form with the face and body delineated but with no arms, and carved out of neem wood. The powerful goddess Kali is said to dwell on the tree and sometimes stones representing her are placed before the tree and worshipped. The bitter neem leaves are chewed with some jaggery in the south on new year's day or Ugadhi, to symbolise acceptance of the good with the bad. (Read more .... )
Neem leaves are strung on thresholds to ward off evil spirits, brides take ritual baths in neem-infused water, smoke from the neem tree is wafted into rooms to cleanse them, in a ceremony babies are laid upon neem leaves to provide them with a protective aura, snake-cults are associated with the neem tree, these are but few of the myriad ways in which the tree makes its mark on the psyche of the sub-continent.In eastern India, wooden images are made of the popular deities Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra; these are made in a pillar-like form with the face and body delineated but with no arms, and carved out of neem wood. The powerful goddess Kali is said to dwell on the tree and sometimes stones representing her are placed before the tree and worshipped. The bitter neem leaves are chewed with some jaggery in the south on new year's day or Ugadhi, to symbolise acceptance of the good with the bad. (Read more .... )