Recently we visited the Ashtavinayak temples and we drove on wonderful roads and met almost nil crowds at the temples which meant peaceful unhurried 'darshan'.
(Ashtavinayak are eight Ganapati temples and traditionally are visited in a specific order. Each has a unique history and unique idol. The idols are all swayanbhu which means self manifested.)
All being Ganesha temples I expected to see the Shami tree -- Prosopis cineraria of the Mimosaceae family. This tree is very common in Rajasthan but not so common here in Pune. Shami leaves are said to be a favourite of Lord Ganesha and are offered in worship especially during Ganesh Utsav as part of the Patri. It is a small tree with conical thorns. Leaves are small and blue green in colour.
Here are some images (in random order) of the Shami trees I saw in our trip. One of them was actually enclosed in a 'cage' possibly to protect it from people randomly plucking leaves to offer to the deity.
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| Shami tree at Morgaon's Shri Mayureshwar Ganapati |
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| Prosopis cineraria |
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| Hibiscus is also said to be Ganesha's favourite and huge Hibiscus garlands were on sale at Siddhatek's Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati |
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Shami at Theur's Shri Chintamani Ganapati
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| Yet another beautiful Hibiscus garland at Shir Ballaleshwar Ganapati at Pali |
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| Protected Shami at the Shir Vighneshwar Ganapati at Ozar |
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| There was lovely garden at Ozar that grew all the 21 Patri (leaves) offered to Ganesha |
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| Shami at the Shri Mahaganapati temple at Ranjangaon |
Besides the Shami, here is an interesting tree.
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| Shri Girijatmaj Ganapati at Lenyadri is located on a hill and one climbs 305 steps to reach this unique cave temple. I met this Ficus on the way up. |
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| A temple pond at Pali |
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| A tranquil lake outside the Shri Varadvinayak Ganapati temple at Mahad |
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| Offerings for the deity at a stall outside the Pali temple |
Any place of worship is a great place to introspect and recharge our mind. They almost always are home to lovely old trees. I am sure you would have noticed these trees! I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
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12 comments:
Thank you for telling us about the Shami tree. Now I'm going to look out for it. (I might have seen it and not given it enough attention.)
Nice to learn about the Ashtavinayak temples, too.
The other tree further down in the post looks like a beautiful sculpture. :)
Thank you for taking us along on this journey. In my religion, planting a tree in memory of someone honors the deceased. I have a feeling trees are important, in some way, in many world religions.
@dee Thanks for your kind words! :-)
@Alana In Pune too, some organisations have a project wherein people can plant trees in memory of their loved ones.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! and stopping by :-)
It's good to hear about trees i know nothing of.
@Linsartyblobs Thanks! Happy to share some thing from our region! :-)
Beautiful ! I appreciate the efforts you put in to explain everything in detail. Thank you for sharing such a lovely post and I have never seen an hibiscus garland. The place looks calm, serene and peaceful; the tree adds to the beautiful place.
My mother has a small Shami at home. And she says it's also Shiv ji's favorite. :) Loved the pictures and so glad you could visit. Yes, places of worship have trees around and they make the experience so much better. Thanks for joining, Archana! I am also very grateful for your support and encouragement in 2022. Here is wishing you and your loved ones a happy start to 2023. Love and hugs!
Great information!! Thanks for sharing..
Thanks @Angela! Its a pleasure to read your thoughts! :-)
@Parul Happy to be a part of TTL! Happy new year to all of you!! Thank you! :-)
Thank you @Ramya !
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