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 to connect them as man and wife.[132]

DURVA’ (Panicum dactylon).—­A grass held to be sacred to Vishnu, who in his seventh Avatara or incarnation, as Rama, the son of Dasaratha, king of Oude, assumed the colour of the grass, which is used in all religious ceremonies of the Hindus.  It has medicinal properties.

KA’STA’ (Saccharum spontaneum).—­It is a large species of grass.  In those ceremonies which the Hindus perform after the death of a person, or with a view to propitiate the Manes of their ancestors this grass is used whenever the Kusa is not to be had.  When it is in flower, the natives look upon the circumstance as indicative of the close of the rains.

KU’SA (Poa cynosuroides).—­The grass to which, reference has been made above.  It is used in all ceremonies performed in connection with the death of a person or having for their object the propitiation of the Manes of ancestors.

MANSA-SHIJ (Euphorbia ligularia).—­This plant is supposed by the natives of Bengal to be sacred to Mansa, the goddess of snakes, and is worshipped by them on certain days of the months of June, July, August, and September, during which those reptiles lay their eggs and breed their young.  The festival of Arandhana, which is more especially observed by the lower orders of the people, is in honor of the Goddess Mansa.[133]

NA’RIKELA (Coccos nucifera).—­The Cocoanut tree, which is supposed to possess the attributes of a Brahmin and is therefore held sacred.[134]

NIMBA (Melia azadirachta).—­A tree from the trunk of which the idol at Pooree was manufactured, and which is in consequence identified with the ribs of Vishnu.[135]