Green Pearls Of India: Free Read | Wood Apple

Wood Apple (Aegle marmelos)

Family: Rutaceae

Wood apple, also known as the bael tree, is highly venerated by Hindus. It is considered one of the most sacred trees in India. Bael is scientifically known as Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa ex Roxb. ‘Aegle’ is the Latin name for one of the Hesperides, the three sisters who, helped by a dragon, guarded the golden apples of Goddess Hera; ‘marmelos’ is derived from the Portuguese word ‘marmelosde’ meaning ‘marbled’. Its Sanskrit name, shriphala, means sacred fruit. This tree belongs to the Rutaceae family. It can even grow in places where no other tree can grow.
This is a glabrous and deciduous tree that grows wild in dry forests and is cultivated mostly in temple premises because of its religious value. The spiny tree with fragrant flowers grows to a height of 15 m. Its flowers are in full bloom in May and fruits appear between October and November. The grey or yellow woody fruit has a smooth outer surface and is 5–15 cm in diameter. The fruit has many seeds embedded in a thick and orange-coloured aromatic pulp. The fruit can be eaten fresh or dried and has a citrusy taste. All parts of the tree have medicinal value.
While the trade name is bael, other common names include stone apple, wood apple, Bengal quince, golden apple or Japanese bitter orange. It is called bel in Assamese and Bengali; bili in Gujarati; bel, bilva and sriphal in Hindi; bilapartri in Kannada; bello in Konkani; marredy and koovalam in Malayalam; baelin Marathi; belo in Odia; bilva, vilva, shivadrumah, shriphala
and tripatra in Sanskrit; vilvam in Tamil; maredu, maredi and bilva in Telugu; and bel and bel kham in Urdu.

Habitat and Distribution

This tree comes up in dry and open forests on hills and plains at altitudes up to 1,200 m, with annual rainfall ranging from 570 mm to 2,000 mm. Though the bael tree is found in tropical and subtropical regions of India, it is also found in  the wild in the lower Himalayan ranges up to an elevation of 500 m, growing along the foothills of the Himalayas—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, the Deccan Plateau and along the eastern coastal plains. It is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and is  cultivated primarily in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

Environmental and Economic Significance

The bael tree has tremendous therapeutic and healing potential for the human body as well as  the environment. Since it absorbs toxic gases from the atmosphere and makes them inert  through neutralization, it acts as a ‘sink’ for chemical pollutants. Since bael emits a greater  percentage of oxygen in the presence of sunlight as compared to some other trees, it is considered to be an air purifier. Since it is also a fragrant species, its volatile and fragrant vapours neutralize the foul smells that emanate from putrefied organic matter, make them inert and prevent bacterial infections.*
Bael can be cultivated commercially in waste and unproductive lands, paving the way for the economic empowerment of farmers. As the tree is drought resistant, this can be grown in Rajasthan too. The tree may take 8–10 years to yield fruits in the case of cultivation from seed. But superior quality bael has been developed through hybridization, and it may start yielding fruits after four to five years.** Farmers can also plant the tree along the boundary of their lands as its dense canopy may be very useful as green manure. A row of trees can serve as a windbreak if planted across the windward side of the agricultural land. The tree also acts as larval food for common Mormon and lime butterflies.

Historical Importance

Bael has been very popular in India from prehistoric times. Evidence of its religious importance is found in the Rig Veda, which states that Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth and prosperity, resides in this tree. Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, mentioned this tree in his account of his visit to India in the seventh century.
In Myanmar, paints are prepared traditionally by using the fruit of the tree. The extract from the tree is used for fertility control and as an antiproliferative in Bangladesh. Its parts are used in Sri Lanka for hypoglycaemic activity. There are reports about the cultivation of the tree in Northern Malaysia and Java in Indonesia, as well as the Philippines, where it yielded fruit for the first time in 1914. This species is found growing in some Egyptian gardens in Surinam and Trinidad. It was
introduced in Europe in 1959. Certain specimens of bael have been introduced and maintained in the Citrus Collection in Florida, USA.

Religious and Mythological Significance

In Hindu mythology and rituals, the bael tree plays a very important role. This tree is worshipped by Hindus for multiple reasons. It is treated as the incarnation of Goddess Parvathi
by many. Bael leaves are used to worship Lord Venkateswara on Fridays. Temples of Lord Murugan, Lord Vinayaka and Lord Vishnu in Tamil Nadu also consider this a sacred tree.
The bael tree is considered a form of Lord Shiva, and is cultivated in the premises of Shiva temples. The tree is also known as shivadrumah in Sanskrit, meaning the tree of Shiva. Many Hindus also believe that Lord Shiva lives under the tree. As the leaves are ternate (in whorls of three), they are believed to represent the three eyes or the trident of Lord Shiva, the trimurti swaroop (the Triumvirate of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) and the three syllables of sacred sound
‘Om’. The bael tree is considered one of his favourite trees, as he is said to be fond of its leaves and fruits. Thus, bael leaves and fruits play a prominent role in the worship of Lord Shiva. It is said that the one who worships Shiva Linga under the bael tree will be blessed to reach the abode of Lord Shiva. As the front tip of the leaf supposedly contains nectar, it must face the statue of the god while being offered. In fact, another name of Shiva is Bilvadandin, which means holder of a bilva-wood staff. Six Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu have gods named after this tree. The famous saint-poet Thirugnana Sambanda, one of the three celebrated Nayanmaars of the sixth century and a Shiva devotee, mentioned the importance of this tree in Thevaram, a collection of Tamil devotional poetry dedicated to Lord Shiva. ‘Bilwashtakam’, one of the hymns of Lord Shiva, considered to be a powerful mantra, discusses the bael tree:

Tridalam trigunakaaram trinethram cha triyayusham,
Trijanma papa samharam eka bilwam sivarpanam.
[I offer one leaf of bilva to Lord Shiva,
Which has three leaves,
Which causes three qualities,
Which are like the three eyes of Shiva,
Which is like the triad of weapons,
And which destroys sins of three births.]
Bilwashtakam idham punyaam, padeth Shiva sannidhou
Sarva papa nirmuktha Shiva loka maapnuyath.
[Reading this holy octet of bilva,
In the presence of Lord Shiva,
Would save one from all sins,
And in the end take him to the world of Shiva.]

Bael tree of Lord Shiva: In Indian mythology, the bael tree is associated with the star Chiththirai, one of the stars in the almanac. The trifoliate leaves are considered the seat of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Sustainer) and Shiva (the Saviour). The tree is also known as mangalya and atimangalya, meaning auspicious, as well as shriphala or fruit of the goddess. It is also called syandilya (removing illness); sailush (beautiful fruit-bearing tree widely distributed in mountainous regions); maloor (helps to increase skin complexion); gandha garbha (seat
of smell); kandaki (thorns); shivadrumah (tree of Lord Shiva); sadaphala (fruit in abundance); sathyaphala (fruit with positive energy) and peethaphala (yellow-coloured fruit).

Goddess Lakshmi has close association with the tree as well. She has been depicted in the Bhuvanesvari Tantra with a bilva fruit in her lower left hand. Moreover, according to Tantric
folklore, Goddess Lakshmi had once come down to Earth in the form of a cow. It is said that the bilva tree had arisen from the dung of this sacred cow. Another tale of Goddess Lakshmi’s association with the bael tree is described in the Brihatdharma Purana. Goddess Lakshmi, in her worship of Lord Shiva, used to offer a thousand lotus flowers, plucked by her handmaids, every day. One day, there were two less than a thousand. Lakshmi believed it to be inauspicious to offer anything less than a thousand. At that time, she remembered that Lord Vishnu, her husband, had once described her breasts as blooming lotuses. So, she decided to offer them
in place of the two missing flowers. Lakshmi cut off one breast and placed it on the altar with the flowers. When she attempted to cut off the other breast, Shiva, who was extremely moved by her devotion, appeared before her and stopped her. He then reshaped her cut breast into the sacred bael fruit, which was then sent to Earth to flourish near his temples. Because of the close connection between bael and Goddess Mahalakshmi, worshipping her on Fridays by offering bael leaves is said to be auspicious. The devotional hymn given below from Sri Suktam (Hymns of Goddess Lakshmi) discusses the bilva tree.
[I surrender myself to You, O resplendent like the Sun!
By your power and glory, trees like the bael have grown up, may the fruits thereof destroy through the grace of all inauspiciousness rising from the inner organs and ignorance as well from the outer senses.]*
Bael is revered as a sacred tree in more than 198 temples in Tamil Nadu, including the temples in Thiruvaiyaru, Thiru Erumbiyur and Thiru Rameswaram. Vasuman, the king of Videhas, is believed to have regained his lost kingdom by going around the bael tree at the temple of Thiruvidaimarudur in Tamil Nadu.
Apart from Tamil Nadu, in Rajasthan, Rajput kings perform the ceremony of worshipping the bael tree, considered the most sacred of Dussehra rites, on the seventh day of the festival. A bael fruit is picked fresh from the tree and offered to the fierce Goddess Chamundi to invoke her protection. In West Bengal, Goddess Durga is aroused from her sleep during Durga Pooja by the touch of a twig from a bael tree growing in the northeasterly direction. Once awake, the goddess is supposed to take up her abode in the tree. As a part of Bel Bibaaha, a ritual celebrated in the Hindu and Buddhist religions by the Newar people of Nepal, prepubescent girls are married to the bael fruit as a symbolic gesture to safeguard against the social stigma endured by widows in their community. This is done so that if the husband were to die later in her life, she was to not be considered a widow, thus possibly dodging the sati-pratha. Moreover, offering bael leaves to Lord Shiva during the Mahashivaratri festival is considered highly auspicious, and it is believed that Shiva’s worship cannot be completed without offering bael leaves.

Auspiciousness of Mahashivaratri: Once, there was a hunter named Gurudruh who lived in Varanasi. He did not go to temples or observe any rituals as he did not believe in God. One day, he went to the forest to hunt. As the night fell, he climbed over a bael tree growing near a pond and waited to hunt the animals that came there to quench their thirst. It happened to be an auspicious day, Mahashivaratri, and there was a Shiva Linga under the tree. Since Gurudruh had waited for the whole night without any sleep, he incidentally started plucking the bilva leaves one by one and dropped them on the Shiva Linga. Lord Shiva was pleased by the offering of the bael leaves and transformed the cruel hunter into a knowledgeable person and blessed him to attain moksha on an auspicious day.

There have been mentions of the tree in ancient Indian scriptures like the Vedas, Puranas such as the Yajur Veda, and the Mahabharata. The Skanda Purana says that the bael tree originated from the sweat of Goddess Lakshmi, which fell on Mount Mandra. It is believed that the tree emits positive frequencies and eliminates negative energies when a person comes close to it. The bael tree is also venerated in Vastu Shastra. According to Vastu, it is strongly believed that if a house has the tree in the northeast, it will be blessed with wealth and remove unforeseen dangers; if in the east, the house will be blessed with happiness, peace and good health; if in the west, the house will be bestowed with health and progeny; and if in the south, the house will be protected from troubles caused by Yama.
It is believed that the presence of a bael and a ber (jujube) tree together indicates an underground spring. There is also a common belief that if people worship the bael tree by
going around it before starting a new venture, they will be blessed by the tree. Planting the tree along the wayside is also believed to provide a long life to the one who has planted it.

Usage

The tender leaves are used in salads. The leaves are also used to obtain essential oil. The twigs and leaves are used as fodder for cattle. The juice obtained from the leaves can be applied over
the body before taking a bath, as they are scented. The twigs of the bael tree are also used as toothbrushes. Sweet, flavoured water is distilled from its flowers. The nutritious, tasty and
aromatic pulp of its fruit is used for preparation of sharbat or squashes during summer because of its sweet and pleasant taste. Bael fruit is used for preparation of candy, powder and
other eatables. The gum-like substance found around the seeds can be used as adhesive. It can be used as varnish as well, and adds brilliance to water-colour paints. The yellow dye obtained
from the unripe rind is used with myrobalan in calico printing. The shell of the fruit is used to add sweet odour to hair oil in Thailand. An essential oil known as marmelle oil is distilled
from the rind. The bael fruit is commonly consumed during breakfast in Indonesia. The pulp of the fruit mixed with lime is used for strengthening mortar and is also used as cement for
construction of wells. The pulp is used as a substitute for soap for washing clothes. It can also be used for making pickles. The dried fruits, after removal of the pulp from the rind, are used
as boxes for storing medicine, sacred ashes and snuff balls. The inedible gum obtained from the stem is used for book binding. The tree is considered as a suitable windbreak or wind barrier. The wood, which takes a fine polish, is utilized for building houses, carts, and agricultural implements, carving, making pestles for oil and sugar mills, naves of wheels, tool handles, combs, etc.
The tree parts are mentioned in ancient systems of medicine. Almost all parts of the tree—leaf, fruit, seed, bark and root—have played a key role in the preparation of numerous medicinal formulations. This is considered one of the most useful medicinal trees in India because of its curative properties. In traditional systems of medicine, it has been used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, constipation, peptic ulcer and gynaecological disorders. The leaves are used to treat diabetes, peptic ulcer, jaundice, leucorrhoea, wounds, deafness, conjunctivitis, gastric problems, irritation in the bowl, paediatric disorder, etc. The extract obtained from the flowers can be used to treat dysentery and diabetes. A tonic prepared from the flowers is used to treat epilepsy. The juice of the fruit is used to treat constipation and dyspepsia. The fruits are used to treat viral and intestinal parasites, tuberculosis, gynaecological disorders, urinary complaint, blood sugar, intestinal disorder, piles, ulcer, diarrhoea, dysentery and irritation in the elementary canal. The roots are used to treat diarrhoea, snake bite and inflammation. As the products of bael are known for curative and therapeutic values, they have become popular even in the international market.

Bael, a Divine Tree: About 170 temples of Lord Shiva have been named after the bael tree in Tamil Nadu. Four temples of Lord Muruga, one temple of Lord Vinayaga and 25 temples of Lord Vishnu are named after the tree in the state. Around 10 villages have been named after this tree in Tamil Nadu. There are about six villages named after this tree in the states of
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Cultivation Practices

Generally, farmers are advised to use planting material produced through vegetative propagation, as the trees grown from seeds may bear fruits only after 8–10 years. Before the
onset of monsoon, pits of 1m × 1m × 1m size can be dug up at an espacement of 4–5 metres. The seedling is planted in the middle of the pit and support is provided. Watering is needed to establish the younger trees. Budded and grafted trees may start yielding fruits after four to five years of planting. The fruits may take about a year to ripen. A matured tree (10 years old) of budded or grafted variety may produce about 150–200 fruits, if it is managed properly. The fruits can be stored for two weeks at normal temperature. Pant Aparna, Pant Shivani, Pant Sujata, Pant Urvashi, Narendra Bael-5, Narendra Bael-7, Narendra Bael-9, CISH B-1, CISH B-2 and Goma Yashi are some improved varieties produced via vegetative propagation in agricultural universities and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions. G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand; Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh; Central Institute of Sub-Tropical  horticulture, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh; and Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Godhra, Gujarat, may be approached for procurement of the improved tree varieties and for obtaining technical advice on planting and management of the trees on a large scale.