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Ethnobotanical Leaflets 14: 665-73.
2010. Botanical Identity of Plants Used in the
Traditional Indian ritual – ‘Hawana’ Subrahmanya Prasad K* and Raveendran K Department
of Post Graduate Studies and Research in Botany Email: prasadks.1090@rediffmail.com Issued: 01 June, 2010 Abstract Rituals are part of Indian
society even from vedic period. Hawana is one of the most important
vedic ritualistic sacrifice which involves lighting fire in a rectangular Homa Kunda using dravyas. In the present scenario these are performed at the
beginning of Shubha Karyas to get
expected results. The priests
conducting the hawanas has been
interviewed. Personal observations of
eight important forms of hawana
were done throughout the study area. A
comparative account of plants used in 8 types of hawana have been given. In
present communication Botanical identity of 55 taxa, their vernacular name,
family, useful part and mode of usage have been documented. Key words : Rituals, Hawana, Botanical identity. Introduction
Rituals are part of human life
since time immemorial. In the past man
was living according to the tune of Mother Nature. But conditions changed after the advent of
civilization, the civilized man became religious while the religious approach
has deviated him from his original objectives and remained only as a
ritual. The historical function of the
rituals is to remind us about our immemorial past and connects the past
generation with the present like a bridge. During the recent years these have
become very popular around the globe due to their therapeutic efficacy. Experiments conducted by various workers
reveal that agnihotra fumes along
with ‘mantras’ reduce the aerial microbial flora and also reduce the
bioenergetic systems of Staphylococci (
Mondkar A G, 1982 ). Analysis of agnihotra ash showed that it has the
potentiality to heal the wounds and scabies ( Mondkar A G, 1982 ), it is 3-4
times richer in water soluble phosphate which is essential for plants (
Tung Ming Lai, 1982 ). Treatment with agnihotra improves germination of rice ( Heisnam Jina Devi et al; 2004 ), grape seeds
and also quality of grape raisins ( Bhujbal B G, 1981 ). Efficacy of agnihotra on mind and body
( Selvamurthy, 1989 ), microbial content of atmosphere( Mondkar A G,
1982 ), radioactivity ( Matela Leszek, 1988 ), people and environment (
Surendra Rawat & Nagendra H R, 2007 ), recovery of drug addict( Golechha et al; 1987 ) and treatment of alcoholism( Golechha et al; 1991 ) have been reported. Experiment
conducted with Grahashanthi homa
showed gradual decrease in the microbial flora as the homa progresses( Subrahmanya Prasad, 2006 ). The
paper lists out the different plants, plant parts and other materials used in
different hawana. An attempt is also made to compare the
materials used in 8 popular hawanas
through our observation. Methodology At the beginning of study informations
regarding the different hawanas,
the materials used in it, the method of performance, beliefs, benefits from
it were collected through personal interview with a number of vedic pandits. For getting familiar with the materials
used in these rituals and performance, personal observations were done by
attending a number of hawanas both
in Northern Kerala and Results
and Discussions The different plants used in the eight common hawanas are tabulated below (Table
No.1). This table gives correct
botanical name of plants, their family, common name, morphology of useful
part, use and mode of usage. A total
of 55 plant species belonging to 49 genera and 29 families are being used in
these rituals. Out of these 55 only 15
species are used in all the 8 hawanas. Saccharum
officinarum L. is used in all the hawanas
except Vasthu Rakshoghana hawana
while Callicarpa tomentosa (L.)
Table 1. Plants used in different Hawanas.
Where ‘x’
indicates presence of the plant, ‘-’
indicates absence, Gr.H – Grahashanthi
hawana, G.H.- Ganapathi Hawana, P.K. – Putrakameshti yaga, K.R.- Kuja Rahu Shanthi, R.B.- Rahu Bruhaspathi Shanthi, S.A. – Shukrarka
Shanthi, M.S. – Mruthyunjaya Shanthi, V.R. – Vasthu
Rakshoghna Shanthi. Among plant parts used leaves
and flowers show dominance as 14 types of these make their appearance while
rhizome, whole plant and fruit wall fibre are least dominant with a single
appearance. 22 plants or their parts
are used for pooja during the hawana, while 12 as dravya (plant products used as
offering to the fire at the end of hawana
or to make prasadam), 11 as samidha (plant and plant parts used as
oblation to the sacred fire), 10 for danam
(offering to the brahmins), 8 for kalasha
(decoction prepared using plant barks, to which pooja is performed, and after the hawana, sprinkled over the family members), 7 as fire wood of hawana and 4 for preparing colouring
matter, which is used to draw specific designs at the yaga performing area. From the data it is evident that
Papilionaceae is the dominant family as 8 species are used in hawanas followed by Moraceae with 6
members. Seeds of Papilionaceae
members are used as danam while
barks or twigs of Moraceae members are either used as samidha or for kalasha. Similarly different parts of a plant are
used for different purposes, which is evident in case of Ficus religiosa L. Its
twig is used as samidha, while bark
for kalasha and heart wood as fire
wood. Out of these 55 plants, Mangifera indica L., Achyranthes aspera L., Calotropis gigantea Ait., Ficus
religiosa L., F.racemosa L., F.benghalensis
L., Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa., Solanum indicum L., Michelia
champaca L., Phyllanthus emblica
L., Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Jasminum grandiflorum L., J.sambac (L.) Ait., Musa paradisiaca L., Nerium oleander L., Piper betle L., Butea monosperma (Lam,) Taub, are used in Patra- pooja in It is clear that all these
plants are well known for their medicinal properties. The smoke, light and heat arising from
these are acting as germicidal agents in a eco friendly manner. Of course the cyclic process is invisible
and therefore further studies should be carried out to recognize the real
relevance. Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to the
Principal and Management Sir Syed College, Taliparamba for providing
facilities. One of the author, SPK is
grateful to KSCSTE for providing financial assistance. References Anil
Kumar and Yadav, D. K. 2004.
Significance of sacred plants in Shraddh Ritual (Pindadan) in Golechha,
G. R., Deshpande, M., Sethi, Golechha,
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of alcoholism. Indian J.Psychiatry, 33(1) : 44-47 Heisnam
Jina Devi., Swamy, N .V. C. and Nagendra ,H. R. 2004.
Effect of Agnihotra on the germination of rice seeds, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 3(3) : 231 - 239 Matela
Leszek 1988. Effectiveness of
Agnihotra on soil radioactivity, US
Satsang, 15 (20) Mondkar,
A. G. 1982a. Agnihotra effect on bacterial population, US Satsang, 9(20). Mondkar,
A. G. 1982b. The therapeutic effect of Agnihotra ash on scabies of rabbits, US Satsang, 9(20) Mondkar,
A.G. 1982c. Agnihotra effect on aerial
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Notes on their identity and ultilization, Ethnobotany,
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