Discovering the Marvels of Mahua: Folklore, Festivities, Food, Fodder and Fuel
Nestled in the heart of nature's abundance, Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) is a testimony to the marvels that are frequently overlooked. Its ecological, medicinal and cultural relevance in the regions where it is found and particularly in indigenous communities in India cannot be undermined. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, in his memoirs Baburnama, which is counted as one of the great memoirs of the world, while providing information regarding different types of flora and fauna in Hindustan (India), mentions about mahua and describes it as gul-i-chakan. In the lush landscape of India, the tree captures his interest, and he highlights how different parts of the tree were utilized for multiple purposes. Its every component is used, including the fruits, flowers, seeds, bark, and leaves. Mahua tree is found in deciduous forests. James Forsyth, a 19th century English traveller in The Highlands of Central India, Notes on Their Forests and Wild Tribes Natural History and Sports provides valuable information about the various hill tribes and forests of the Central Provinces of India. In his work, he regards mahua as 'one of the most valuable trees' in Central India. For this reason, he observed that the people of this region in the beginning would not cut this tree like other forest trees to clear the ground for cultivation. However, as the population grew bigger, in such thickly populated areas, the tree began to vanish. Nonetheless, he cites an anomaly to show that in Nimar district of Madhya Pradesh the bulk of the small landowners were driven from their fields during the "times of trouble", but because it was customary for them to keep ownership of the fruit trees growing on their property even after they acquired the land, they remained the owners of the trees for the most part. As a result, it frequently happened that one party owned the land and another, the trees. Since the landholder was the only one who paid the rent, even if the landholder would benefit financially from the removal of the trees, the tree owner would not receive payment. As a result, the trees had undoubtedly remained, much to the district's beauty and benefit. Thanks to its social custom, Nimar as an exception remained a region of dense mahua tree vegetation during the time when James Forsyth explored the area.
When the mahua tree leaf out, they offer a spectacular spectacle.
Source: Dr. Richa Singh
Ibn Batuta, a 14th century Moroccan traveller in The Travels of Ibn Batuta, A.D. 1325-1354 (Vol. III) describes its fruits in the following words,
Its fruit resembles a small pear and is very sweet. At the top of each fruit there is a smaller fruit of the size of a grape, but hollow; its taste is like that of grapes, but eating too many of them gives a splitting headache and are to be had only in certain districts, in the capital Dihli and in the territory of…
The tree blooms with flowers in the summer i.e. in the months of March and April. When the blossoms ripen, they naturally fall off. Tribals get to work gathering ripe mahua flowers that have fallen from the many trees that grow by the side of the road, in the forests, etc. so that they could dry them in their houses, and then sell them in marketplaces. Generally, a mahua tree is often assigned to a tribal family so they can harvest the fruits, and other tribal families are able to gather the falling mahua flowers off the tree. It is evident that women and children frequently complete the duty. Men do, nevertheless, also make a contribution at times since picking each fallen bloom by hand is a laborious undertaking. They spend hours sitting and gathering fallen flowers and when they do so in woodlands, they make themselves easy prey for tigers and other predators. To make it easier to see the fallen blossoms and to get rid of dry leaves and branches that have fallen, the area surrounding the tree is sometimes set on fire. Mahua gathering by this method has the potential to destroy the forest's entire ecosystem by starting forest fires. The Nagpur Forest Division (Maharashtra) attempts to make mahua collection less strenuous and environment-friendly by providing green nets and cloths so that the tribal people can save their time and swiftly gather mahua flowers without causing damage to the trees. It aids in forest preservation and also saves the lives of poor tribals who go deep in the forests and stay there long for the purpose of collecting the blossoms. Hence, this proficient strategy adopted by the Nagpur Forest Division ought to be replicated in other regions as well.
A native woman crafting environmentally sustainable leaf bowls from sal tree leaves to hold the freshly harvested Mahua flowers. Tavernier in his account mentions the workers, including men, women and children eating rice served on plates ‘made of the leaves of a tree pinned together’ when he visited Kollur mine, the same mine from where the celebrated Kohinoor diamond was procured. Both mahua and sal trees grow abundantly in different states of India. Sal tree in Jharkhand is locally called sakhu or sakhua. It is also the state tree of Jharkhand.
Source: Dr. Richa Singh
Interestingly, Babur could not stand the flavour of sun-dried mahua flowers, although Ibn Battuta enjoyed it. Ibn Battuta records, "A surprising thing is that when these fruits are dried in the sun they taste just like figs, and I used to eat them in place of figs, which are not to be found in India. They call this [small] fruit angur, which in their language means grapes. Grapes themselves are very rare in India..." Babur on the other hand writes, “The dried flower mostly resembles the raisin but has a bad taste. The fresh flower is not bad and is edible." According to James Forsyth, the flowers seemed to have some effect on the mental faculties of herbivore animals like sambar, nilgai, bears, etc. and birds, who 'lose their natural apprehensions of danger' after eating sweet mahua flowers during its blossoming season. Forsyth who also gained a widespread reputation as a hunter in India, opines, 'and the most favourable chances of shooting them are then obtained.'
After the gathering process, the mahuas are cleaned and sun-dried before being offered for sale at the market. A common native beer among the indigenous people is prepared from sun-dried mahua. Ancient Indian texts such as Charaka Samhita mention mahua liquor. Babur informs in his memoirs about the production of spirits made from mahua. He writes, "Liquor is distilled from the flowers, which are also dried and eaten." As per James Forsyth, "its main use if in the distillation of ardent spirits, most of what is consumed being made from Mhowa. The spirit, when well made and mellowed by age, is by no means of despicable quality, resembling in some degree Irish whisky." Tribals offer mahua liquor at weddings, birth celebrations for children and ceremonies honouring their deities and ghosts. With the exception of the Baiga tribes, where males also make mahua liquor, many tribal communities have women make the alcohol. Men are said to be unable to locate a hunt when they go hunting if they make the liquor. Mahua was designated as a heritage liquor by the Madhya Pradesh government in 2021. Mahua liquor was outlawed during British administration in India, and the Bombay Excise Act of 1878 and the Mahua Act of 1892 forbade the manufacture of alcohol as well as the gathering and storing of mahua flowers by native people.
Mahua flowers also find their way into traditional tribal recipes, adding a distinct flavor to dishes. They make kheer using mahua (in place of rice) and milk. Since the flowers have such a sweet flavour, there is no need to add sugar. Another dish known as sargi konda comes from Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh. The tribals there make it with mahua flowers and sal seeds. The Santhali tribes of West Bengal prepare a dish, mahua teke, using mahua and tamarind seeds. The Korku tribes of Madhya Pradesh makes kuldam which can be understood as a kachori stuffed with mahua. The tribes of the Chotanagpur Plateau enjoy mahua dishes such as asur khichadi (rice dish with dried mahua flowers), asur pitha, etc. In Odisha, they prepare pithau bhaja, mahua poda pitha, laddoos made from mahua. Mahua latta is a mahua dish made by the Pando tribe of Chattisgarh, as an offering to their tribal deity and then distributed as prashad during their celebrations. In Telangana, the tribes make mahua vadas and mudda.
Apart from this, they also make mahua oil for cooking purposes. Babur writes, “This (mahua) also grows wild. The fruit is tasteless, the seed rather large, and the skin thin. Oil is extracted from the pulp of the seeds“. Ibn Battuta explains the other utility of the oil. He records, "The mohwa bears fruit twice a year and from its kernels they make oil, which they use for lamps." After the oil is extracted from the seeds, the leftover product, mahua seed cake, is used to kill predatory fish in lakes and ponds. In addition, the cake serves as a mosquito repellent. Other than their utilization as food and beverages, mahua is prized for their medicinal properties. Its oil is used to treat headaches, rheumatism, and skin conditions. In order to prevent skin cracking in the winter, to relieve joint and muscular discomfort and weariness, its seed paste is applied. From the autobiography of Babur, we also learn that during his time, ‘the houses of the people of Hindustan (India) are mostly made of mahua wood’. Mahua leaves are used as fodder for livestock (cattle, goats and sheep).
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