The book titled “Sacred Plants of India” is written by
Nanditha Krishnan and A Amrithalingam and published by Penguin. As the name
suggests the book is an exhaustive study on the sacred plants in India . Like her
earlier works “Sacred Animals of India” and “The Book of Demons,” in this book
too Nanditha Krishnan explores a vast number of trees and plants that are
associated with Hinduism, Jainism and Budhism.
Mythology, stories, religious associations, ritual uses and
medicinal properties of each plant and tree is given briefly. Care is taken
that important points are not missed. The language used is simple.
There are very good chapters on tree worship in Vedas,
Epics, Puranas, Jainism and Buddhism. Another interesting chapter is Woman and
Tree. Another on the fast disappearing sacred groves in India .
Name of each tree and plant is given in Sanskrit, Hindi and
Tamil. Also the area where the plant is found is also mentioned.
The black and white pictures of plants and trees are not
visually appealing. Neither do majority of them serve the purpose of
identification. Line drawing of the plants would have been a better option.
But the book should never be missed by a student of Sanatana
Dharma and also by a enthusiast who is interested in plants and trees.
Sacred Plants of India
Authored by Nanditha Krishnan and A Amrithalingam
Published by Penguin Books India
Price – Rupees 399/-
Pages 312