Kalpa Tree ‘Kalpavriksha’: The Sacred Wishing Tree Has Been Object Of Adornment And Worship Since Ancient Times

MessageToEagle.com – Worshiping of trees is one of the oldest traditions in India. One of such sacred trees is Kalpa Tree, also known as the Kalpavriksha that is believed to be a wishing tree but it was also believed that this tree produced the fruit which nourished the first men.

Kalpataru, the divine tree of life being guarded by mythical creatures Kinnara and Kinnari, flying Apsara (a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology) and Devata - 8th century Pawon temple, Java, Indonesia. Image via wikipedia
Kalpataru, the divine tree of life being guarded by mythical creatures Kinnara and Kinnari, flying Apsara (a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology) and Devata – 8th century Pawon temple, Java, Indonesia. Image via wikipedia

According to ancient beliefs, Kalpa Tree should be venerated because it has a strong connection to the divine and means much more than only fulfilling of people’s wishes.

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It is a sacred object in Buddhism and Jain cosmology and is often mentioned in Sanskrit literature from the earliest sources and in Hindu myths. In religious Hindu beliefs, Kalpavriksha, is considered the tree of life – the “World Tree” mentioned in the Vedic scriptures.

Kalpavriksha is a unique tree, a divine tree, a celestial tree or a spiritual tree
Kalpavriksha is a unique tree, a divine tree, a celestial tree or a spiritual tree

The king of the gods, Indra, the most important god in the Vedic religion, returned with Kalpavriksha to his abode and planted it at Mt. Meru peak in the middle of Indra’s five paradise gardens.

But why did Indra take the sacred Kalpavriksha tree to his paradise?

Kalpavriksha - wishing treeA myth explains that Kalpavriksha was once located on earth but people started misusing it by wishing evil and wrong things.

It is said that in Indra’s “Devaloka” (or “deva loka”) which is a plane of existence for both where gods and devas, there are as many as five Kalpavrikshas, which are called Mandana, Parijata, Santana, Kalpavriksha and Harichandana.

All these trees fulfil various wishes; in  Jainism, an ancient Indian religion, there are as many as ten sacred Kalpavrikshas and these trees grant wishes regarding garments, utensils, nourishment, place to reside, ornaments, pleasant music, wonderful aromatic flowers and shining lamps.

Kalpavriksha – famous in iconography and widely described in ancient literature – is also identified with several other sacred trees because In India and other countries of the Far East, the different trees hold religious importance and with the passage of time, they acquired social and religious sanctity.

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References:

wikipedia

R. Rastogī, Let Us Identify The Useful Trees