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respect. It is frequently mentioned by the Roman poets as the
tree of Jove, to whom it was dedicated ; and near to Chaonia, a
mountainous part of Epirus, was a forest of Oaks, called the
Chaonian or Dodonasan Forest, where oracles were given, as some
say, by the trees themselves. The world-tree of Romowe, the
old centre of the Prussians, was an Oak, and it was reverenced as
a tree of great sanctity.
The Indians adored the tree Asoka, consecrated to Vishnu; and
the Banyan, in the belief that Vishnu was born amongst its
branches.*
The Soma-latd {Sarcostemma aphylla), or sacred plant yielding the
immortal fluid offered to the gods on the altars of the Brahmans, is
regarded with extreme reverence. The name Amrita, or Immortal
Tree, is given to the Euphorbia, Panicum Dactylon, Cocculus cordifolius,
Pinus Deodara, Emhlica officinalis, Terminalia citrina. Piper longum, and
many others. The Holy Basil {Ocimum sanctum) is looked upon as a
sacred plant. The Deodar is the Devaddru or tree-god of the
Shastras, alluded to in Vedic hymns as the symbol of majesty and
power.
To Indra, the supreme god of the Vedic Olympus, are dedicated
the Terminalia Arjuna (the Tree of Indra), the Methonica superha
(the Flower of Indra), a species of Pumpkin called Indra-vdrunikd
(appertaining to Indra and Varu^^a), the Vitex Negundo (the drink of
Indra), the Ahrus precatorius, and Hemp (the food of Indra).
To Brahma are sacred the Butea frondosa, the Ficus glomerata,
the Mulberry (the seed of Brahma), the Clerodendron Siphonanthus,
the Hemionitis cordifolia (leaf of Brahma), the Saccharum Munga (with
which is formed the sacred girdle of the Brahmans), and the Poa
cynosuroides, or Kusa Grass, a species of Vervain, employed in
Hindu sacrificial rites, and held in such sanctity as to be acknowledged
as a god.
The Peepul or Bo-tree {Ficus religiosa) is held sacred by
Buddhists as the Holy Tree and the Tree of Knowledge.
The Burmese Buddhists surround their Pagodas and religious
houses with trees, for which they entertain a high regard. The first
holy men dwelt under the shade of forest trees, and from that
circumstance, in the Burmese cultus, every Budh is specially connected
with some tree—as Shin Gautama with the Banyan, under
which he attained his full dignity, and the Shorearobusta, under which
* In the rites appertaining to the great sacrifice in honour of the god Vishnu at
the end of March, the following plants were* employed, and consequently acquired a
sacred character in the eyes of the Indians Sesamum seed, leaves of the Aivattha,
Mango leaves, flowers of the Sami, Kunda flowers, the Lotus flower. Oleander
flowers, Nagakesara flowers, powdered Tulasi leaves, powdered Bel leaves, leaves
of the Kunda. Barley meal, meal of the Nivara grain (a wild paddy), powder of Sati
leaves. Turmeric powder, meal of the Syamaka grain, powdered Ginger, powdered
Priyangu seeds,.Rice meal, powder of Bel leaves, powder of the leaves of the Amblic
Myrobalan, and Kangni seed meal,'—An Imperial Assemblage at Delhi Three Thousand
Years Ago.
he was born and died—and, as we are told, the last Budh of this
world cycle, Areemadehya, will receive his Buddhaship under the
Mesua ferrea.
The Burman also regards the Eugenia as a plant of peculiar
sanctity—a protective from all harm. The Jamboa, or Rose Apple,
is held in much reverence in Thibet, where it is looked upon as the
representative of the mystical Amrita, the tree which in Paradise
produces the amrita or ambrosia of the gods.
The Cedar has always been regarded by the Jews as a sacred
tree ; and to this day the Maronites, Greeks, and Armenians go
up to the Cedars of Lebañon, at the Feast of the Transfiguration,
and celebrate Mass at their feet.
To the ancient inhabitants of Northern Europe the Elm and
the Ash were objects of especial veneration. Many sacred trees
or pillars, formed of the living trunks of trees, have been found in
Germany, called Irminseule, one of which was destroyed by
Charlemagne in 772, in Westphalia.
The Mountain Ash, or Rowan Tree, was, in olden times, an
object of great veneration in Britain ; and in Evelyn’s day was
reputed of such sanctity in Wales, that there was not a churchyard
that did not contain one.
The colossal Baobab {Adansonia) is worshipped as a divinity
by the negroes of Senegambia. The Nipa or Susa Palm {Nipa
fruticans) is the sacred tree of Borneo. The gigantic Dragon
Tree {Dractena Draco) of Orotava was for centuries the object of
deep reverence to the aborigines of the Canary Isles. _ The
Zamang of Guayra, an enormous Mimosa, has from time im.me-
morial been held sacred in the province of Caracas. The Moriche
Palm [Mauritia flexuosa) is considered a deity by the Tamancas, a
tribe of Oronoco Indians, and is held sacred by the aboriginal
Mexicans,
The Nelumbo, or Sacred Bean {Nelumbmm speciosum), was the
Lotus adored by the Ancient Egyptians, who also paid divine
honours to the Onion, Garlic, Acacia, Laurel, Peach-tree, Lentils
of various sorts, and the Heliotrope. Wormwood was dedicated
to Isis, and Antirrhinum (supposed to be the ancient Cynocephalia,
or Dog’s Head) to Osiris.
The sacred Lotus of the East, the flower of the
“ Old Hindu mythologies, wherein
The Lotus, attribute of Ganga— embleming
The world’s great reproductive power— was held
In veneration,”
was the Nelumhium speciosum. This mystic flower is a native of
Northern Africa, India, China, Japan, Persia, and Asiatic Russia,
and in all these countries has, for centuries, maintained its sacred
character. It is the Lien-wha of the Chinese, and, according to
their theology, enters into the beverage of immortality.