Mango(Mangifera Indica) cluster of scientific names and religious aspects

Mango(Mangifera Indica) cluster of scientific names and religious aspects By 

Farooq Khalid (Philosopher in chemistry) 

Mango(Mangifera Indica) is a commonly renowned evergreen herbal tree with the genus Mangifera and the species Mangifera Indica belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. Great variability exists in the case of Mangifera Indica as it contains 70 genera with 600 species.

 Therefore, this great variability in the genus has forced many scientists to work on its seed structure. Self-pollination has been observed in an experiment involving two varieties of Mangifera Indica (Osteen and Keitt) but preference has been seen for cross-pollination in varieties like kent and butin. This is attributed to the self-incompatible behaviour shown by Mangifera Indica favouring cross-pollination. Moreover, an absence of pollen from any other genotype will, in fact, favour self-pollination.

In different regions, it is designated by a different name such as in Sanskrit: Madhuula; Madhulualaka; Ambrah, English: mango, French: mangot, Urdu: aam Punjabi: amb, Portuguese: manga; Mangueira. In tropical and subtropical areas of the world, mangos have been grown for thousands of years and become an integral part of many cultures. The name of mango in the world reflects the language and culture of the people who grow it. The origin of the English word mango is the Malayalam word “manna” also known as a manga in Portuguese. It was first used in 1498 in Kerala during a spice trade. Mango is regarded as the national fruit of the Philippines, Pakistan and India. Mango is also known as the national tree of Bangladesh. 

Around 100,000 mango trees are reported to be planted by former Mughal king Akbar (1556-1605) in Darbhanga, a city in eastern India. Historically, the Jain goddess Ambika is shown to be sited beneath a mango tree. In India, Lord Ganesha has been found to hold fully ripe mango for paying respect to the devotees for their potential perfection. Mango flowers are also used to worship Saraswati a goddess. There is no concept of celebrating New Year’s Day in Telugu known as Ugadpasses without eating a delicious dish Ugadi pachadi made with mango pieces. Seeds and skin of dried mango have been utilized in ancient Ayurvedic medicine.

For decorating doors and during wedding celebrations, mango leaves are used as an ornament for Ganesh Chaturthi. Many embroidery styles in India such as Kanchipuram silk sarees and Kashmiri shawls contain mango paisleys along with motifs. Due to its pre-Islamic Zoroastrian background, paisleys are very common in Iranian art. As a sign of fortune doors are decorated with mango leaves in India during festivals. Concerning flavour and juicy taste, mango is regarded as one of three royal fruits in Tamil Nadu along with Banana and jackfruit.

Slice, Frooti and Maaza are popular mango drinks in India due to the sugar and different artificial flavours present within them. Expression in West Indies “to go mango walk” employs to steal someone’s mango fruit. Australia sold the very first tray of mango season for charity as an auction. Praises of mango were sung by Kalidasa a Sanskrit poet.

In China, mango became popular during the cultural revolution and was considered a symbol of love for the people by Mao Zedong.

#MangoinHindureligion,