Considered to be holy, Tulsi, which in Sanskrit means ‘the incomparable one’, will be the point of focus in one-of-a-kind festival at Big Foot in Lotoulim slated to begin on February 3.
The Tulsi festival which will be held in collaboration with the Department of Forests will showcase the many varieties of this medicinal plant and its uses (both, medicinal and ritualistic) will be displayed and discussed. The festival will also look into the origins of this plant - both mythological and philosophical - in accordance with the Indian traditional values.
“Through this festival, we hope to create an awareness of the immense health benefits of this little shrub that helps in preventing illnesses and curing various diseases,” says Maendra Alvares who is the brain behind this festival. Although it is important especially owing to it’s various medicinal properties, Maendra points out to the neglect it receives in general. “We wish to make people aware how this little plant benefits the environment by giving out oxygen 24 x7,” states Maendra who has in the premises at Big Foot, a total of 11 varieties of Tulsi. He hopes that this festival will be an eye-opener for those who have the plant in their vicinity but do not know its value.
“Tulsi is a very familiar plant found in the balconies and front yards of Hindu homes across India. Considered as one of the most respected and holy plants on the face of earth, having the Tulsi, Tulas or Holy Basil as is popularly known to mankind, in the vicinity, is said to be highly beneficial to health,” he briefs.
An aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae, tulsi is native to the Indian subcontinent. A large-scale phylo-geographical study of this species conducted using chloroplast genome sequences indcates that this plant originated from North Central India.
The tulsi is a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics and is known to be highly beneficial to the environment. It is cultivated for religious and traditional medicinal purposes, and for its essential oil. Widely used as a herbal tea, all parts of the tulsi plant are commonly used in Ayurveda for various medicinal purposes. This plant has a special place within the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving holy basil plants or leaves. Vaishnavas traditionally use Hindu prayer beads made from tulsi stems or roots, which are an important symbol of initiation. Tulsi rosaries are considered to be auspicious for the wearer, and believed to put them under the protection of Hanuman.
This sacred plant is worshipped as the avatar of Lakshmi (the consort of Lord Vishnu) and hence also called Vishnupriya. Tulsi leaves are an essential part in the worship of Vishnu and his avatars including Krishna and Rama as well as some male deities such as Hanuman, Balarama and Garuda. It is believed that water mixed with the petals given to the dying raises their departing souls to heaven.
The upcoming festival will witness the participation from students and staff of B S P Gomantak Ayurveda Maha Vidyalaya, Shiroda, P E S Ravi Naik College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Ponda, and Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science, Margao. The festival will include a display of the different varieties of the Tulsi plant, highlighting it uses in a medicinal capacity. There will also be demonstrations featuring Tulsi used in food and beverages and tulsi infused products for sale. The festival will have an entry fee of Rs 50 which includes a tour of Ancestral Goa.
(The Tulsi Festival will be organised on February 3 and 4 from 10 am to 5 at Big Foot, Loutoulim pm)
