Name of the Tree | Related Festival or Vrata | Time of Celebration and Rituals |
Amala | Amala Ekadasi | 11th day of Phalguna Sukla; people bathe with Amala twigs soaked in water and also consume it; worship it along with Radha-Krishna. |
Amra or Mango | Amra-puspa Bhaksana Vrata | 1st day of Chaitra Sukla; people consume mango blossoms and worship Kamadeva. |
Asoka | Asoka Pratipada | 1st day of Chaitra Shukla; only women worship the Tree; they also observe fast seeking longevity. |
Bakula | Bakula Amavasya | Bakula flowers are offered to the manes, seeking their blessings. |
Vata or Bargad | Vata Savitri Vrata | Jyestha Purnima or Amavasya day; having fasted for the three previous days, married women worship the bagged tree by circumambulating, while tying the sacred protective thread around the tree (raksa Sutra), and listen to the sacred Savitri-Satyavan story; some women stay awake during the night before completing the vow by feeding brahmins; in the western parts of India, devout women observe this vow for five consecutive years after marriage. |
Bilva or Bel | Bilva Tri-ratri Vrata | On Tuesday of Jyestha Purnima when the constellation is Jyestha, people worship the bel tree for three consecutive nights as per Hemadri’s injunctions in the Skanda Purana; the vow comprises bath with water mixed with mustard seeds, partaking of sacred sattvic food (havisyanna), adorning the tree with two pieces of red cloth and placing the image of Uma-Mahesvara beneath it; Homa is performed with 1008 Bolivia leaves offered; Brahmins are fed. |
Bilva or Bel | Sravana Krisna Ekadasi | Involves the ceremonial offering of water to the bel tree. |
Bilva or Bel Bhadra | Shukla Chaturthi | Offering of trifoliate leaves of bel to Lord Ganesa. |
Bilva or Bel | Bilva Nimantrana | Asvina shukla sasthi; invoking the tree-goddess and worshipping the Devi. |
Bilva or Bel | Bilva Saptami | Asvina shukla saptami; a twig of bel with two fruits is offered to Devi. |
Bilva or Bel | Bilva Navami | Asvina shukla navami; bel leaves are offered to Lord Siva. |
Karavira or Kaner or Oleander (Neriumindicum) | Karavira Vrata | Jyestha shukla prathama tithi; kaner roots and branches are soaked in water and adorned with a red cloth; offerings of seven cereals (sapta dhanya) and fruits are made followed by fasting; Savitri, Satyabhama, and others performed this vrata when they were in trouble. |
Kadali or Kela | Kadali Vrata | Vaisakha, Magha or Kartika shukla chaturdasi; a banana tree is planted and nurtured till it bears fruits; for the welfare of one’s family, a person should worship the tree with flowers, fruits, etc and circumambulate it. |
Kadali or Kela | Yaksa-samantaka | Kadali Vrata: A golden banana tree is worshipped and offered to a brahmin on any auspicious day. |
Kevada or Screw Pine (Panadanusodoratissimus) | Kevada Teej | Bhadra shukla tritiya; As a way of soliciting unbroken married life, women offer Kevada leaves to Lord Siva. |
Neem | Sitala Puja | Chaitra navaratras; goddess Sitala who is said to reside in the neem tree is propitiated ritually; Pat Gosain festival in Bengal means neem tree worship; neem leaves are consumed on Vaisakha shukla saptami. |