A Spiritual Quest In Miniature
Ganapathi Sachichidananda Swamiji of Avadhoota Datta Peetha in Mysore has a special interest in nature and ecology. Being a keen nature lover, the seer has developed spiritual gardens in his ashram premises in Mysore, thereby enlightening people about the divinity of Mother Nature.
Navagraha Garden, Sapta Rishi Garden, Nakshatra (stars) Garden and Rashi (Zodiac signs) Garden stand testimony to the seer’s zeal and zest for evolving new paradigms for worshipping nature.
The seer, who began the ritual of caring and nurturing the world renowned collection of Bonsai plants over several years, can now boast of having India’s largest collection of Bonsai trees at his ashram on Mysore-Ooty Road.
The carefully shaped and miniaturized trees are beautifully displayed on oriental gardens and facilities set against the backdrop of Chinese garden environment in the foothills of Chamundi. The garden, established in one acre of land, has been named as ‘Kiskhindha Moolika Bonsai Garden’. According to the swamiji, there is a mention of a ‘miniature forest’ in Ramayana. It is the ‘Kishkindha Vana’ developed by Dadhimukha, the maternal uncle of King Sugriva. Kishkindha was the name of a mountain. Kishkindha was also an army base during the rule of Sugriva. It was indeed a challenge for Dadhimukha, the developer of ‘Kishkindha Vana’, to keep the monkey-army from plundering his garden full of fruits, flowers and nuts.
Legend behind
It is said that Dadhimukha developed a fascinating technique by which he could ensure that the trees did not grow so tall as to draw the attention of the monkey-army, at the same time, retain all the characteristics of those trees.
More than 200 varieties of Bonsai plants have been displayed at the garden. Some trees are as old as 150 years. The ashram procured Bonsai trees from countries such as China, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, West Indies, Canada, Thailand, Australia.
Some of the devotees of the ashram, who are Bonsai enthusiasts, have presented their plants to the garden.
“The garden has not been developed only for ornamental purpose. The prime aim is to create awareness on the medicinal properties of these plants,” the seer explains.
Some rare varieties of Bonsai trees including Wrightia Religiosa (from Thailand and Malaysia), Golden Casurina, Ficus Microcarpa (China and Australia) and Acer Buegerianum (Maple leaves from China) are in the garden. Casuarina Equisetifolia (Burma, Australia and Malaysia) dates back to 1825. This is the oldest tree in garden which has many exquisite collections of Bonsai varieties.
Says Hyderabad-based Bonsai consultant P V Govindaraju, “the garden has some of the best collections with trees perfected in various Bonsai traditions. They include Bunjin, Saikei, Penjing, Formal and Informal Upright, Cascade, Single, Double and Multi-trunk and Wind Swept styles.”
The seer says that Bonsai technique allows us to preserve plant species that are on the verge of becoming extinct. To develop a miniature garden of rare trees in a small area can be of great educational value.
There are several species of plants that can grow into becoming tall trees in wilderness, but can also grow in limited space. Plants like Audumbara (fig) and neem can be grown in a pot. These plants are known to have great therapeutic value. Audumbara trees have the capacity of reducing atmospheric pollution and removing toxins. Audumbara is known to be a disinfectant also.
Medicinal purposes
The beneficial properties of neem is known to the entire world today. The smoke emanating by burning dried leaves of neem can kill micro-organisms. These plants can be grown in a miniature form in every house, he explains.
“We are not much enthused about considering Bonsai as a mere decorative art. We are also exploring the possibility of using for medicinal purposes, the leaves, twigs, bark, flowers and fruits that wither from these Bonsai plants.” He adds further, “performing pooja and meditation in the close vicinity of certain trees is known to be highly beneficial in one’s sadhana. We do not suggest that Bonsai plants are substitutes for natural forests. Nor do we suggest that everyone should indulge in developing Bonsai gardens. We are only suggesting to take up the concept as a novel way of preserving and exhibiting the vast flora of our planet in an amazingly small space.”
Some authorities believe that ayurvedic medicine had a great influence on traditional Chinese medicine. The travelling Chinese medicine men used to carry with them living plants to treat ailing people. In order to make their transportation easier, these plants were constantly trimmed. Eventually the medicine men realised that this treatment of constant trimming reduced the plants’ leaf size, as well as encouraged the plants to develop dense twigs.
This art is now immensely popular in Japan, China, Indonesia and many other oriental cultures.
Navagraha Garden, Sapta Rishi Garden, Nakshatra (stars) Garden and Rashi (Zodiac signs) Garden stand testimony to the seer’s zeal and zest for evolving new paradigms for worshipping nature.
The seer, who began the ritual of caring and nurturing the world renowned collection of Bonsai plants over several years, can now boast of having India’s largest collection of Bonsai trees at his ashram on Mysore-Ooty Road.
The carefully shaped and miniaturized trees are beautifully displayed on oriental gardens and facilities set against the backdrop of Chinese garden environment in the foothills of Chamundi. The garden, established in one acre of land, has been named as ‘Kiskhindha Moolika Bonsai Garden’. According to the swamiji, there is a mention of a ‘miniature forest’ in Ramayana. It is the ‘Kishkindha Vana’ developed by Dadhimukha, the maternal uncle of King Sugriva. Kishkindha was the name of a mountain. Kishkindha was also an army base during the rule of Sugriva. It was indeed a challenge for Dadhimukha, the developer of ‘Kishkindha Vana’, to keep the monkey-army from plundering his garden full of fruits, flowers and nuts.
Legend behind
It is said that Dadhimukha developed a fascinating technique by which he could ensure that the trees did not grow so tall as to draw the attention of the monkey-army, at the same time, retain all the characteristics of those trees.
More than 200 varieties of Bonsai plants have been displayed at the garden. Some trees are as old as 150 years. The ashram procured Bonsai trees from countries such as China, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, West Indies, Canada, Thailand, Australia.
Some of the devotees of the ashram, who are Bonsai enthusiasts, have presented their plants to the garden.
“The garden has not been developed only for ornamental purpose. The prime aim is to create awareness on the medicinal properties of these plants,” the seer explains.
Some rare varieties of Bonsai trees including Wrightia Religiosa (from Thailand and Malaysia), Golden Casurina, Ficus Microcarpa (China and Australia) and Acer Buegerianum (Maple leaves from China) are in the garden. Casuarina Equisetifolia (Burma, Australia and Malaysia) dates back to 1825. This is the oldest tree in garden which has many exquisite collections of Bonsai varieties.
Says Hyderabad-based Bonsai consultant P V Govindaraju, “the garden has some of the best collections with trees perfected in various Bonsai traditions. They include Bunjin, Saikei, Penjing, Formal and Informal Upright, Cascade, Single, Double and Multi-trunk and Wind Swept styles.”
The seer says that Bonsai technique allows us to preserve plant species that are on the verge of becoming extinct. To develop a miniature garden of rare trees in a small area can be of great educational value.
There are several species of plants that can grow into becoming tall trees in wilderness, but can also grow in limited space. Plants like Audumbara (fig) and neem can be grown in a pot. These plants are known to have great therapeutic value. Audumbara trees have the capacity of reducing atmospheric pollution and removing toxins. Audumbara is known to be a disinfectant also.
Medicinal purposes
The beneficial properties of neem is known to the entire world today. The smoke emanating by burning dried leaves of neem can kill micro-organisms. These plants can be grown in a miniature form in every house, he explains.
“We are not much enthused about considering Bonsai as a mere decorative art. We are also exploring the possibility of using for medicinal purposes, the leaves, twigs, bark, flowers and fruits that wither from these Bonsai plants.” He adds further, “performing pooja and meditation in the close vicinity of certain trees is known to be highly beneficial in one’s sadhana. We do not suggest that Bonsai plants are substitutes for natural forests. Nor do we suggest that everyone should indulge in developing Bonsai gardens. We are only suggesting to take up the concept as a novel way of preserving and exhibiting the vast flora of our planet in an amazingly small space.”
Some authorities believe that ayurvedic medicine had a great influence on traditional Chinese medicine. The travelling Chinese medicine men used to carry with them living plants to treat ailing people. In order to make their transportation easier, these plants were constantly trimmed. Eventually the medicine men realised that this treatment of constant trimming reduced the plants’ leaf size, as well as encouraged the plants to develop dense twigs.
This art is now immensely popular in Japan, China, Indonesia and many other oriental cultures.
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posted by Davor Novakovic @ Thursday, June 16, 2005
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