F THE HINDUS.

The following list of the trees and shrubs held sacred by the Hindus is
from the friend who furnished me with the list of Flowers used in Hindu
ceremonies.[130] It was received too late to enable me to include it in
the body of the volume.

AMALAKI (_Phyllanthus emblica_).--A tree held sacred to Shiva. It has no
flowers, and its leaves are in consequence used in worshipping that
deity as well as Durga, Kali, and others. The natives of Bengal do not
look upon it with any degree of religious veneration, but those of the
Upper Provinces annually worship it on the day of the _Shiva Ratri_,
which generally falls in the latter end of February or the beginning of
March, and on which all the public offices are closed.

ASWATH-THA (_Ficus Religiosa_).--It is commonly called by Europeans the
Peepul tree, by which name, it is known to the natives of the Upper
Provinces. The _Bhagavat Gita_ says that Krishna in giving an account of
his power and glory to Arjuna, before the commencement of the celebrated
battle between the _Kauravas_ and _Pandavas_ at _Kurukshetra_,
identified himself with the _Aswath-tha_ whence the natives consider it
to be a sacred tree.[131]

BILWA OR SREEFUL (_Aegle marmelos_).--It is the common wood-apple tree,
which is held sacred to Shiva, and its leaves are used in worshipping
him as well as Durga, Kali, and others. The _Mahabharat_ says that when
Shiva at the request of Krishna and the Pandavas undertook the
protection of their camp at Kurukshetra on the night of the last day of
the battle, between them and the sons of Dhritarashtra, Aswathama, a
friend and follower of the latter, took up a Bilwa tree by its roots and
threw it upon the god, who considering it in the light of an offering
made to him, was so much pleased with Aswathama that he allowed him to
enter the camp, where he killed the five sons of the Pandavas and the
whole of the remnants of their army. Other similar stories are also told
of the Bilwa tree to prove its sacredness, but the one I have given
above, will be sufficient to shew in what estimation it is held by the
Hindus.

BAT (_Ficus indica_).--Is the Indian Banian tree, supposed to be
immortal and coeval with the gods; whence it is venerated as one of
them. It is also supposed to be a male tree, while the Aswath-tha or
Peepul is looked upon as a female, whence the lower orders of the people
plant them side by side and perform the ceremony of matrimony with a
view t