A History of Agriculture in India v1.c32.s2: Palms
A History of Agriculture in India v1.c32.s2
- Language
- English
Palms
v1.c32.s2.1
Different types of palms are depicted in Bharhut and Sanchi. Palmyra palm (*Borassus flabellifer*) is shown on a medallion from Bharhut. It is a common tree in southern and eastern India, and the accuracy with which it is carved shows that the sculptors were acquainted with it. Wild date-palm (*Phoenix sylvestris*) is shown in a Sanchi sculpture. A palm, with a man standing below, is depicted at Besnagar (Fig. 180).
v1.c32.s2.2
Buddhism spread rapidly in India under the patronage of Asoka. In due course, it reached Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Sumatra, Java, Viet Nam, China, Korea, Japan, Central Asia, Mongolia and Afghanistan. It had a humanizing influence on the barbarous tribes in Afghanistan, Central Asia and Mongolia. It gave them a new philosophy of life and developed their moral character. It inspired the great art of Ajanta, whose influence reached Khotan in Central Asia, and Tun Huang in China. It inspired the world's greatest monument at Borobudur in Java, which is still admired for its noble sculpture. Above all, it propagated agriculture and love for trees and gardens.
v1.c32.s2.3
Fig. 180. Palms depicted in Buddhist sculptures. 1, Palmyra-palm (Borassus flabellifer), Bharhut, second century B.C.; 2, A palm, with a man standing below, Besnagar; 3, Wild date-palm (Phoenix sylvestris), Sanchi (After R.V. Sitholey)
v1.c32.s2.4
Marshall, J.H. and Foucher, A. *The Monuments of Sanchi*, 2 Vols, London, 1939 Rapson, E.J. (Ed.) *Cambridge History of India*, Vol. I, Cambridge, 1922 Sastri, K.A.N. and Srinivasachari, G. *Advanced History of India*, New Delhi, 1970 Sitholey, R.V. Plants represented in Ancient Indian Sculpture, *Geophytology*, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1972 Thapar, R. *History of India*, Vol. I, Penguins, 1974
v1.c32.s2.5
Fig. 181. A Yakshi under a mango-tree. Stupa I, Sanchi, first century B.C. (Courtesy: Archaeological Survery of India)
v1.c32.s2.6
Fig. 182. A grapevine carved on a fragment of a railing post, Bharhut, Satna District, Madhya Pradesh, second century B.C. (Courtesy: Allahabad Museum)