Tree of Life Motif in Gujarati Art and Architecture
The tree of life or Kalpavriksha in Hinduism holds a very significant position among the adherents. Various cultures across the world such as the Sumerian, Slavic, Nordic, Chinese cultures, etc. have different interpretations of it. In the Quran, it appears as Shajarat al-Kholoud which represents immortality. In Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology, Kalpavriksha is believed to be a divine tree that grants wishes. It is also known as Kalpataru, Kalpadruma, Kalpapadapa, etc. The tribal communities of India too revere it and it has been depicted in their art and culture. The first reference to Kalpavriksha is found in the Rigveda. As per the Hindu mythology, it was one of the products that emerged out of samudra-manthan (churning of the cosmic ocean). Indra, the king of the devas (gods) and swarga (heaven) took it to the indralok or heaven and planted in his celestial garden. It can bear any kind of fruit, grant material prosperity and can also be instrumental in one's spiritual quest. It is not revered as a deity but as a medium to attain enlightenment or spiritual wisdom. In Buddhism, it was sitting and meditating under the Bodhi tree that the Buddha gained nirvana. Thus, the Bodhi tree or banyan tree symbolizes wisdom. Kalpavriksha is also the Bodhi tree or the tree of wisdom as it aids in one's spiritual journey. In India, Hindus tie sacred threads around the tree.
The puranic literature, primarily the Vishnu Purana, Harivamsa, and Bhagavata, furnishes its readers with a number of intriguing yet conflicting narratives related to how Kalpavriksha was brought to the Earth by Krishna or that it was created by Sage Kashyapa or it was the unpleasant outcome of love between Surya (Sun-god) and a princess named Parijataka. In another, version, it was Shiva who created it. It is also said that Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers brought Kalpavriksha from the heavens to the Earth. This kalpavriksha that Arjuna brought to the mrityulok (Earth) is also referred to as the parijata tree or boabab tree which is now located in Kintoor, a village in Uttar Pradesh. Most likely it travelled to India from Africa through trade as Indian merchants had commercial links with the Arab traders. Thus, Kalpavriksha is synonymous with a number of trees such as banyan, boabab, coconut (in some coastal regions), and so on.
The Bhishmaparva of the Mahabharata describes it as the tree whose branches yield multiple different things such as streams of milk, varieties of fruits, clothes, ornaments, beautiful men and women, etc. In Jain cosmology, kalpavriksha comes in ten different varieties.
Types of Kalpavriksha | Purpose |
1. Matanga-vriksha | Fruit-bearing tree |
2. Bhingaa-vriksha | Leaf Utensil-providing tree |
3. Tudiyangaa-vriksha | Musical-sound-producing tree |
4. Jyoti-vriksha | Light-emitting tree (like sunlight during nights) |
5. Deep-vriksha | Light-emitting flowers (like deep or earthen lamps) |
6. Chitangaa-vriksha | Floral-ornament-producing tree |
7. Chittrangaa-vriksha | 18 different types of fruit-bearing tree |
8. Manovegaa-vriksha | Precious stone encrusted gold-ornament-producing tree |
9. Gihangaaraa-vriksha | Multi-storied palace-building tree |
10. Aniyagaaraa-vriksha | Leaf garment-producing tree |
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