^ "Japanese Train Station Protectively Built Around a 700-Year-Old Tree".In addition to individual shinboku, shrines and Buddhist temples are often surrounded by sacred forests called Chinju no Mori, which are considered sacred forests where kami, including spirits of ancestors, dwell. In most cases, Shinboku can be easily identified by the straw or hemp rope called a shimenawa which is typically wrapped around the tree the rope acts as both a sign of the tree's sacredness, and also as a protective barrier between the spirit world and the human world. ![]() Because shinboku are viewed as being literal sanctuaries, inhabited by kami, they are protected as a physical and spiritual embodiment of the divine nature. The oldest shinboku are estimated to be several thousands years in age. Although any tree can technically become a shinboku through a Shinto ritual process of inviting a kami to inhabit it, most shinboku are particularly large or aesthetically interesting examples of endemic species such as camphor, ginkgo, or Japanese cedar. In the present day Japan, shinboku are trees inhabited by kami (spirits or deities) and can readily be found in many of the 100,000 Shinto shrines existing in throughout the country. Sacred trees, called shinboku, are a deeply ingrained part of a Japanese culture that has historically viewed itself as being united with nature, rather than separate from nature thus, recognizing the sacredness of trees, stones, mountains, forests, and the elements has been a relatively constant theme in Japanese culture for thousands of years. The sacred flowers include the Lotus, Champaka and Marigold.Ī 'shimenawa' rope is wrapped around a sacred guardian tree at one of Japan's Hachiman Shrines. It is widely used as a herbal tea, commonly used in Ayurveda, and has a place within the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving holy basil plants or leaves. Tulsi in India is cultivated for religious and traditional medicine purposes, and also for its essential oil. The sacred fruits and plants include the Bael, Kusha grass, Tulsi (see Tulasi chaura and Tulsi Vivah), flowers such as Lotus, Champaka, coconut, paan (betal leaf), banana leaf, etc are also sacred. Within each grove, peepal will be planted in the east, banyan in north, bel in centre, amla in west and ashoka tree in south. From 2021, land was identified in village for planting these groves which will be looked after by the villagers. įorests Department, Haryana has initiated a state-wide program to plant panchavati groves in each village, which will be planted along the temples, ponds, and common land. Sacred trees used in panchavati are the Vata ( ficus benghalensis, Banyan), Ashvattha ( ficus religiosa, Peepal), Bilva ( aegle marmelos, Bengal Quince), Amalaki ( phyllanthus emblica, Indian Gooseberry, Amla), Ashoka ( Saraca asoca, Ashok), Udumbara ( ficus racemosa, Cluster Fig, Gular), Nimba ( Azadirachta indica, Neem) and Shami ( prosopis spicigera, Indian Mesquite). Panchvati has five types of sacred trees, however there are more than five types of trees which are considered sacred and form the part of panchavati. Panchavati, are groves of five trees sacred to Indian-origin religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. ![]() Triveni is a grove of 3 specific trees sacred to Indian-origin religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism), which are the vata ( ficus indicus, banyan), ashvattha ( ficus religiosa, Peepal) and Nimba ( azadirachta indica, neem).ĭuring Vat Purnima festival married women tying threads around a banyan tree. It states, "A pond equals ten wells, a reservoir equals ten ponds, while a son equals ten reservoirs, and a tree equals ten sons." Triveni groves Matsya Purana, a Hindu text, has a Sanskrit language shloka (hymn), which explains the importance of reverence of ecology in Hinduism. The Bodhi Tree (banyan) is specially revered, and there are numerous large banyan trees in India. In addition to the Panchvati trees described below, other sacred trees include species such as the Akshayavat (sacred fig tree), Banana leaf, Kadamba, Parijaat, and Sandalwood. In Hindu belief, the Kalpavriksha is a wish granting tree. There are numerous sacred groves of India. In the Dharmic (Indian-origin) religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, the ecology, such as trees, rivers, fauna, and mountain, is sacred and revered objects of worship. Stone illustration dating to 1st century CE, of the "tree temple" at Bodh Gaya in India, around the sacred Bodhi tree.
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