Roots of Tradition and Nature's Pride

The fullness of the entire Banana tree is considered sacred and it is also called “KADALI” in the Sanskrit Language. Starting from their leaves to the bottom of the stem is used for various purposes. According to Hinduism cultural belief, there is a saying that Rishi Durvasa was interrupted during his sleep by his wife and gave her a curse to change into a banana tree. This made her place a wish to her husband, that she should always be treated in a holy way. By hearing this Rishi Durvasa also accepted her wish and that is the time when the holiness of the banana trees begins its life on this Earth.

Bananas are one of the most popular fruits found in and around the world from the most ancient times. It is also considered a holy fruit that is given to the Gods for the Neivedhiyam. It not only has holiness but it is highly beneficial for the health concern too. Hindu religion itself has its own fascinating mythological stories, with the reference to that many plant and animal kingdoms fall under them. In such a way the auspicious ranking for the banana tree was also ranked at the top.

Actually banana tree is not considered a tree because it falls under the category of perennial herbs with a greenish trunk which is not as hard or sturdy and strong as other trees' trunks look. But anyways the banana tree's appearance makes it feel like a tree with the consideration of its structure.

Table of lists:

  1. Benefits of various parts of the banana plant
    1. Eating in banana leaf
    2. Eating the fruit banana
  2. The reason behind worshipping the banana tree
  3. Importance of banana tree towards cultural and religious belief
  4. Banana tree with its astrology
  5. Conclusion
  6. Frequently asked questions

 

Benefits of various parts of the banana plant:

Eating in banana leaf:

banana leaf We Indians use banana leaves to serve hot foods on special days from temples to houses. This was a practice of the olden days when metals were not invented. They are also sterile, and biodegradable and they also assure more health benefits when we eat hot food in banana leaves. They are nontoxic and free from harmful chemicals and pure from nature so we can directly use them for poojas and to eat prasadam using them.

Consumption of bananas:

In the temple, bananas are given as prasadam after we worship God. Apart from Religious belief, bananas do have many beneficial properties like high nutrition value like potassium-rich food, high dietary fiber, and vitamins like C and B6 which help in the blood flow of the body, digestion improvement, blood pressure regulation, and act as a natural immunity booster thus all these properties make banana more nutritious food. Their availability is also abundant, so it has become a staple food for us.

 

Reasons behind worshiping Banana tree:

The banana plant is referred to as Lord Brihaspathi and we offer them our beloved prayers for the wellness of our family, not only this but in addition to this banana tree also personalizes Lord Vishnu and Laxmi to live in them. This plant contains all of its parts in a usable way like the leaf, stem, fruit, and flower unlike the other plants, so it got its name “Kalpavriksh” which means the plant that fulfills our wishes when we pray to them.

 

Importance of banana tree towards cultural and religious beliefs of Hindus:

In the Hindu religion, this tree signifies many roles in our Mother Nature like both environmental presence and cultural settings for example when decorating our homes for various Hindu festivals and in rituals like marriages we tie them at our doorsteps as pandals for the well-being of the ceremony to take place without any hindrance as a role of the traditional ancient practice.

At temples bananas are commonly given in even pairs as an offering which we give to the almighty God. They are more than that fruit since they have many religious practices and exceed their status in being intrinsic when we offer them to God wholeheartedly.

Banana plays a crucial role in rituals like pujas done for Gods since they are pure, devotional, prosperous, and filled with abundance. Their nutritional benefit level is also rich and their year-round availability also makes them more essential in Hindu worship.

 

Banana tree with its astrology:

         According to Vastu - shastra the harmonious place to keep a banana tree in a house is in the east, north, and northeast directions to get the whole fruitfulness of the plant. Remember to never keep them in the front or main entrance of the house and also in the direction of the eastern and southern side of our house to avoid some of the non-happenings.

  • Planting a banana tree according to astrology in a home would resolve all the problems related to Jupiter.
  • The same tree planted in front of the marriage house symbolizes the married couple will cherish their life to the fullest. and also the couple will be blessed with children.
  • Worshiping a banana plant will give unmarried women who await their marriage an ideal life partner.
  • The roots of banana trees have the same power as gemstones like yellow Sapphire and the person who cannot afford them can just take the roots along with them and give some fortune to them.
  • Banana trees have the magical power of curing Mangalya dosha in Janampatri, to get rid of this dosha the unmarried individual has to marry a banana tree.

 

Conclusion:

The banana tree should only be planted in the backyard of the house to get its full holiness while we pray to them on auspicious days like Kadali viratham pooja. Planting the plant on a few auspicious days is also fine to get the abundance shower into our house like Chaturthi, Shukla paksha, and in a few months like Karthikai, Magam, and Vaishakha to bear good fruitful fruits in the plant as well as into our family.

Frequently asked questions:

  1. Do they bring good luck?

They bring happiness and prosperity within the houses and everyone cherishes them.

  1. Can they be planted near the houses?

They can be planted in the backyard for their home to get the holiness spread into the family and they are also house-friendly due to their soft roots which do not harm buildings.

  1. Live the span of a banana tree?

This will be a long time commitment and also cost-effective since they grow in groups with one root spread into many small shrubs. Planting one banana tree gives a number of plants that come from them on the sides.

  1. Can we eat daily in banana leaves?

Yes, they have more good properties and health benefits than eating in metal & plastic plates due to their chemical-free properties, nature-friendly and biodegradable which get decomposed in soil and act as manure.