Champaka flowers are mainly used in the worship of Bhagavan Sri Krishna and Kamdev, the Hindu god of love. Champaka tree is widely mentioned in Ramayana and it is found in the palace of Kaikeyi (Ramayana 2. 10.3). The tree is mentioned in the forests through which Sri Rama passed during the exile especially at Panchavati (3.15.17) and the Malaya and Sahyadri Mountains (6.4.72). Brahma is said to have declared that those who plant and take care of champaka plant will go to heaven. The flower is one of the arrows of Kamadeva. The flowers are offered in the worship of Krishna. In some regions, the flowers are not offered to Shiva but in some regions it is. The flower has been mentioned in the Brihat Samhita (29.8). A story among the Soliga tribes state that champaka tree is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. There is a story in the tribal folklore which states that a virtuous daughter of a tribal elder transformed in a champaka tree and it started to bear gold flowers. Performin...

Mallika, jasmine flower (chameli - mulla or malligai), several species of which are native to India, is a fragrant flower and is used in the worship of gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Garlands made of jasmine flowers are offered to deities in temples and also in Hindu homes as part of daily worship. After the deities are garlanded, devotees visiting the temples are given these flowers as prasada (offering) by Hindu temple priests. According to Hindu scriptures, the jasmine is considered to be one of the five arrows of Manmatha, the God of love, which he shoots from his bow made of sugarcane, the other four being lotus, ashoka flower, mango flower and blue lotus. Many renowned Sanskrit poets and dramatists have praised the flower in their works. Kalidasa mentioned the flower in his poem Raghuvamsha, in which he describes the newly blossomed, sweet smelling jasmine. Dandin has also mentioned this flower in his Sanskrit Kavyadarsha. The practice of Hindu women decorating t...

Thechi, Flame of the woods, also known as Chethi, Thetti, Jungle Geranium and Jungle Flame is a flower widely used in Hindu pujas and rituals in South India especially in temples in Kerala. The flower is known as Rugmini in Hindi, Vedchi in Tamil, Thechi in Malayalam and Rangan in Bengali. The scientific name of the flower is Ixora coccinea. Red Thechi flowers are widely used in Hindu Temples. White and light yellow and yellow varieties are also used for pujas. Offering Thechi Garland at the world famous Sri Krishna Temple in Guruvayur is considered highly meritorious. Flame of the Woods is widely used through out the temples in South India . It is also used as offering in daily pujas in homes. The Poomoodal ritual in Kadampuzha Bhagavthy Temple in Kerala is performed only with Chethi flowers.

Palash means having sacred leaves and is an important tree in Hinduism. As per Hindu belief, the tree originated from the fallen feathers of a falcon soaked in Somarasa – the drink and offering made to Devas in Vedas. The religious significance of the tree starts with the trifoliate formation of the leaf – the middle part of the leaf represents Bhagwan Srihari Vishnu; Brahma on the left and Mahadev Shiva on the right. Palash Tree in Hinduism  Palash Tree, in scriptures, is also referred to as treasurer of the gods. In some text it symbolizes the moon as the moon shining through the flowers is a spectacular sight. As per Hindu belief, the tree originated from the fallen feathers of a falcon soaked in Somarasa – the drink and offering made of Devas in Vedas. It is believed that once Gayatri in the form of eagle went to get somarasa from the celestial mountain Mujavana. While carrying back the somarasa, a guard of the mountain shot an arrow at the eagle, and a feather dippe...