Kadamba tree, also known as Vellai Kadambu in Tamil and common bur flower tree in English, is associated with the world famous Madurai Meenakshi temple in Tamil Nadu. As per the sthala purana of the Madurai Meenakshi temple, the land on which the temple is now situated was once covered by a dense forest of kadamba trees.
Indra, the king of Devas (demigods), used to visit the forest at night and worship a swayambhu Shivling that stood under a kadamba tree to find sin redemption. He worshipped the Shivling to get rid of his Brahma Hatya dosha (sin of killing a Brahmin).
As the forest had the presence of Shiva, it is believed that Goddess Parvati too resided in the forest. For this reason, Goddess Parvati is lovingly referred to as kadamba vana vasini.
The kadamba tree under which the Shivling was worshipped became the sacred tree of the temple. The stump of the ancient tree is still preserved and is covered by a silver plate.
Kadambari Amman is a form of Mother Goddess Shakti associated with the tree.
The relic of ancient Kadamba tree is preserved in the Madurai Meenakshi temple.