Page 10 - Oct-Dec 2016

DID YOU KNOW?
PIONEERING WITH PLANTS The first botanical

garden in India was the
The reference to plants that are indigenous to India, find their Royal Botanic Gardens of
mention in the Sanskrit texts of the ancient period. Dependence Calcutta, which opened in
on plants was more than just means of subsistence. People 1787. This gave a further
were drawn to the study of plants as a source of medicines too. boost to the study of

botany in India. It was established by the
ANCIENT pERIOD efforts of Lt. Col Robert Kyd.

During the Vedic period,
(1500-600 bCe), the economy MODERN pERIOD
was primarily agrarian, which in the 16 century with the coming of the european
th
necessitated the need for a travellers, we see a new attempt towards the
systematic and in-depth study classification of plants in connection with the
of the type of plants that could environment. One important work in this context is the
be grown. The hymns of the rig hortus Malabaricus by the Dutch governor of Malabar,
Veda tell us that indians had Henry Van rheede. his book was published between
some knowledge of what we call 1686 and 1703.
today as photosynthesis.
ancient indian botanists are an important person who further enriched the
also known to have contributed to the science of plant botanical studies in india was roxburgh. his works
pathology. The atharva Veda mentions the destruction include: The Plants of the Coromandel Coast, Flora
of corn from pests while the arthasastra, agni–Purana indica, hortus bengalensis and the latter serves as a
and brhat-samhita, all talk about Vrksayurveda i.e. the catalogue for the different types of plant species that
science of trees and plants. could be found at the botanical gardens of Calcutta.
The Post–Vedic texts give evidence of a major The indian Forest Department was founded in bombay
development in science allied with botany such as in the year 1807. after which it was established for the
agriculture, horticulture and sylviculture. two other presidencies, Calcutta and Madras.

MEDIEVAL pERIOD

in the medieval period, the
most important text is the
sarngadhara–Paddhati by
Sarnagadhara. an attempt
was also made to study
plant life in connection
with the environment. This
book elaborates on the
relationship between man,
nature, medicine, chemistry
and botany among many SCIENCE TODAY: FIND THE FULL FORM
other things. OF THESE ORGANISATIONS!
a chapter on cultivation on iCar Fri
trees has this quote:
NiPgr CiMaP
“He is verily a King whose abode is provided with spacious
gardens, containing large tanks or pools adorned with iCgeb Nbri
beautiful lotus blossoms over which humming bees fly.”

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