Hi Umbar and Audumbar are well known Marathi names for Ficus recemosa. In Konkan region it is called / pronounced as 'Rumad'.
Umbar Jal, a well known ayurvedic medicine used to cure uncers, is sap collected from roots of Umbar trees. Threshholds of the main door of houses is called 'Umbaratha' in Marathi and is made of Umbar wood. This is supposed to keep the inmates / visitors of the house healthy. God Narsinha killed Hiranyakashapu on Umbaratha (threshold) since the place is neither inside the house nor outside! Hiranyakashpu could not be killed by anyone within or outside the house. Umbar tree seems to have a lot of religious / spiritual significance in Hindu mythology, perhaps due to its unique properties. Umbar tree is also associated with god Dattatreya and at many places in the south the shrines are under Umbar trees. Incidently, Dattatreya is always associated with Cow and Umbar leaves are supposed to excellent fodder for milch cows. Umbar definitely has tremendous ecological significance and like all Ficus species is a member of 'Keystone species'. A lot of research is going on to study the pollination of Umbar figs by wasps and the symbiotic association of wasps and figs is turning to be a fascinating subject for scientists all over the world. Ulhas Rane --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "indiantreepix" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
