Yamuna The Yamuna, also known as the Jumna or Jamna, is the second largest tributary river of the Ganges (Ganga) and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres (20,955 ft) on the southwestern slopes of Banderpooch peaks of the Lower Himalaya in Uttarakhand, it travels a total length of 1,376 kilometres (855 mi) and has a drainage system of 366,223 square…
Artha Artha (Sanskrit: अर्थ) is one of the four aims of human life in Indian philosophy. The word artha literally translates as “meaning, sense, goal, purpose or essence” depending on the context. Artha is also a broader concept in the scriptures of Hinduism. As a concept, it has multiple meanings, all of which imply…
Kokila bird Kokila or the Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related black-billed and Pacific koels which are sometimes treated as subspecies. The Asian koel is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of crows and other hosts, who raise…
Arjuna tree Arjuna or Terminalia arjuna is a tree of the genus Terminalia. It is commonly known as Hole Matthi in Kannada. The arjuna grows to about 20–25 metres tall; usually has a buttressed trunk, and forms a wide canopy at the crown, from which branches drop downwards. It has oblong, conical leaves…
Chandana tree Chanada or Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for use. Sandalwood is the second-most expensive wood in the world, after African blackwood. Both the…
Narikela tree Nārikela (नारिकेल)—Sanskrit word for a plant “coconut palm” (Cocos nucifera).
Patala The pāṭala is an essential grīṣma flower, used to create garlands that hang around women’s necks to complement their śirīṣa earrings and mallikā-woven hair. Summer breezes are laced with the scent of its freshly-bloomed flowers. Botanical name is:Stereospermum colais – A large deciduous tree growing throughout India, leaves imparipinnate, large,…
Karnikara tree Karnikara tree or bayur tree or Pterospermum acerifolium, is a flowering plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, from India to Burma. It is most likely to grow naturally along forested stream banks. The best growing conditions are a seasonally moist then dry climate with access to full sunlight. Pterospermum acerifolium is an angiosperm…
Punnaga Tree Punnaga or Calophyllum inophyllum is a large evergreen plant, commonly called Alexandrian laurel, ball tree, beach calophyllum, beach touriga, beauty leaf, Borneo-mahogany, Indian doomba oil tree, Indian-laurel, laurelwood, red poon, satin touriga, and tacamahac-tree. It is native from East Africa, southern coastal India and Australia. Calophyllum inophyllum is a low-branching and slow-growing tree with a broad and irregular crown. It usually reaches 8 to 20 m (26 to 66 ft) in height.…