Ornamental Horticulture

History of gardening in India

The history of systematic gardening in India is as old as civilization of Indus of Harappan which existed between 2500 B.C and 1750 B.C. During the period, people were living in well-planned dwellings. Harappan pots were generally decorated with the design of trees. In every village, trees including Ficus religiosa (pipal) and F. bengalensis (banyan) were planted for worship as well as for shade.

Aryans came to India in 1600 B.C. They were literary people and brought with them the four Vedas viz., Rig Veda, Artharva Veda, Yuzur Veda and Sam Veda and the Puranas. They appreciated the beauty of flowering plants, lakes, mountains, forests, etc., and named their children after flowers like Kamal, Champa, Bela, Chameli, Rukmani, etc., Detailed account of the status of gardening at that time has been presented in Ramayana written by Valmiki. Ayodhya city was described as having wide streets, large houses, richly decorated temples and gardens. These gardens were planted with fruit trees and flowering plants and had lakes full of lotus (Nelumbo sp.) and different kinds of birds. During exile, lord Rama and Sita are believed to have observed a number of trees and were fascinated by beautiful flowers. One such tree was Ashoka (Saraca indica).

Another epic ‘Mahabharat’ written by saint Vyasa also mentions about gardens. During the Mahabharat era, pleasure gardens were planted with flowering plants. The famous tree of this era was Kadamba (Anthocephalus cadamba), which is associated with lord Krishna. The great poet Kalidas has described the numerous flowering plants of that era in a number of his books. In ‘Kumar Sambhav’ trees like Ashoka, Kalpvriksha, Shirish flower, Butea monosperma, parijatham (Nyctanthes arbotristis), Mimusops elengi, lotus and lilies have been mentioned.
The association of different trees with the life of Lord Buddha is well known. Buddha was born in 563 B.C. His birth is believed to have taken place under the Asoka tree (Saraca indica). Further, Buddha attained his enlightenment under a Pipal tree, spread his new teachings under shady banyan and mango trees and breathed his last in a Sal (Shorea robusta) grove.

The great Emperor Asoka (264-227 B.C.) adopted arboriculture as one of his state policies. He encouraged the planting of avenue trees. His son Prince Mahendra took a sapling of the Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) from India and planted it at Anuradhapur in Sri Lanka (250 B.C.).
In the works of Kalidasa during the rule of Chandragupta II, we find the mention of several flowering trees including the Asoka tree (Saraca asoka), Kadamba (Anthocephalus cadamba), Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Butea monosperma, Parijatham (Nyctanthes arbortristis), Bauhinia variegata, Mimusops elengi, Albizzia lebbek and screwpine. The creeper ‘Madhavi latha’ (Hiptage madablata) occupied a prominent place in his play ‘Sakuntala’. In the same play we find the mention of pleasure gardens. In Meghduta he describes the women of Alakapuri to have used Kadamba flowers to decorate their hair in the monsoon and carried pink lotuses in their arms.

The famous poet Bhana Bhatta describes a number of flowering plants including the Banyan, Sal, Champaka, flame of the forest, Mimusops elengi, Kadamba, Ashoka and the Indian coral in his famous book ‘Harsh Charita’.
Vatsayana (300-400 A.D.) in his book ‘Kamasutra’ gives a glimpse of the joyful civic life of that period. He narrates four kinds of gardens:

1. Pramododyan meant for the enjoyment of the royal couples
2. Udyan where the kings played chess, enjoyed the dances of the maids and jokes of the court jesters
3. Brikshavatika the garden where high-placed persons in the king’s court enjoyed life with courtesans
4. Nandavana which was dedicated to Lord Krishna.