Botanical Name

Stereospermum colais (Buchanan-Hamilton ex Dillwyn) Mabberley

Common Name

Trumpet flower tree, Paraal (Hindi), Padiri (Tamil), Patala (Sanskrit)

Distribution

Throughout India, in deciduous forests

Religious association

The Padiri tree is associated with the Padaleeshwarar temple at Tiruppathiripuliyur, Tamil Nadu.

It is believed that Goddess Uma reached Tiruppathiripuliyur after worship of 1008 Shiva sthalams. She worshipped Lord Padaleeshwarar installed under a Padiri tree. After years of penance, Lord Shiva appeared and he united with the Goddess under the sacred Padiri tree, which is now the sthalavriksha of the temple.

The tree is associated with the Ekapatala, sister of Goddess Uma who took only one Patala leaf for food. The tree is also sacred to the Jains, as the 12th Tirthankara - Bhagwan Vaspujay Ji attained enlightenment under this tree.

Uses

The Patala root is one of the ten ingredients in ‘Dashamula’, a popular Ayurvedic formula for fatigue. The flower is used for removing intestinal worms and is also used to treat mental disorders, jaundice and venereal diseases. The leaf extracts acts against breast tumors. The oil is used in perfumes and medicines.

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