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Bombay Atalantia Plant Sacred in Hindu Religion

Bombay Atalantia, or wild lime, is known as banjamir nimbur or bannimbu in Hindi, kurundai or Kuruntu in Tamil, huchhu nimbe in Kannada, kattu narakam in Malayalam, makad limbu or ran limbi in Marathi and adavi nimbai in Telugu. The tree worshipped as the sacred tree in certain temples in Tamilnadu.

The fruit of the tree is also known as sweet blossomed lime and there is a popular belief that those who apply the mud from below the tree will be cured of all skin diseases including leprosy. Saint Manikkavasagar has mentioned about the tree in his Thiruvasagam.

It is believed that Nataraja form of Shiva performed the Ananda Tandava under this tree.

There is stone sculpture of the tree at the Atmanathaswami Temple at Avudaiyarkoil in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu. It is believed that Shiva gave darshan to Manikkavasagar here under the kurundu tree and taught him Sivagnana.