Paarijat

Common name: Har singar, Coral Jasmine, Tree of Sorrow, Queen of the night

I generally carry my camera with me at most times.  I had gone to the doctor's home, and I did not feel the need for the camera here! And there was this lovely tree.  I could take the picture at the left with the mobile phone camera.  A few days later I went armed with my camera, only for a picture, but sadly it had rained and the flowers were sort of shrivelled.  But nevertheless, some pictures were taken.

Nyctanthes arbortristis literally means, night-blooming sad tree. Grows as large shrub or small tree depending on how it is trained.  The scented flowers are small, attractive with white petals and an orange-red tube in center and bloom profusely, opening at night and drop off in the morning, thus making a carpet of flowers in the morning.

Used for worship by Hindus and Buddhists. 

They are produced in clusters of two to seven together.   These are apparently only flowers that Hindus offer to God picked from the ground instead of plucking from the tree.

According to mythology, this is a heavenly tree brought to earth by the god Krishna. Both Satyabhama and Rukmini, Krishna's wives wanted the flower. So Krishna planted the tree in Satyabhama's courtyard in a way that when the tree flowered, the flowers fell in Rukmini's courtyard. Another romantic story woven around the tree is about Parijataka, a princess. She fell in love with the sun but when he deserted her she committed suicide and a tree sprung from the ashes. Unable to stand the sight of the lover who left her, the tree flowers only at night and sheds them like tear-drops before the sun rises



Botanical name: Nyctanthes arbortristis    Family: Oleaceae (Jasmine family)

Picture taken at Dr BS home at Punjagutta, Hyderabad.

Info - Flowers of India, Wiki, Top Tropicals.com