Возможно, это дерево бэль или баэль, под которым, по преданию, медитировал Шива. Оно же - дерево Эгле. "Официальное название" -
Aegle marmelosIt is cultivated throughout India, as well as in Sri Lanka, northern Malay Peninsula, Java and in the Philippines. It is also popularly known as
Bilva,
Bilwa,
Bel,
Kuvalam,
Koovalam,
Madtoum, or
Beli fruit,
Bengal quince,
stone apple, and
wood apple. The tree, which is the only species in the genus Aegle, grows up to 18 meters tall and bears thorns and fragrant flowers. It has a woody-skinned, smooth fruit 5-15 cm in diameter. The skin of some forms of the fruit is so hard it must be cracked open with a hammer. It has numerous seeds, which are densely covered with fibrous hairs and are embedded in a thick, gluey, aromatic pulp.
The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. If fresh, the juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade, and is also used in making
sharbat, a refreshing drink where the pulp is mixed with tamarind. If the fruit is to be dried, it is usually sliced first and left to dry by the heat of the sun. The hard leathery slices are then placed in a pan with several litres of water which is then boiled and simmered. As for other parts of the plant, the leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. The fruit is also used in
religious rituals and as a
ayurvedic remedy for such ailments as
diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal parasites, dryness of the eyes, and the common cold. It is a very powerful antidote for chronic constipation.
In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is said to live under the Bael tree. In India, the tree is often found in temple gardens and its leaves are used in religious celebrations.
In the traditional culture of Nepal, the Bael tree is part of an important fertility ritual for girls known as the Bel baha.Bel baha or
Ehee (Nepal Bhasa:ईही) (Bel bibaha) is a ceremony in Nepal in which pre-adolescent girls are 'married' to the bel fruit tree, which is a symbol of the god Shiva , ensuring that the girl becomes and remains fertile. It is believed that if the girl's husband dies later in her life, she is not considered a widow because she is married to Shiva , and so already has a husband that is believed to be still alive.
URL URL
