Giving Flowers to a woman began in India.

 

Written by London swaminathan

 

Date: 16 January 2017

 

Time uploaded in London:- 21-06

 

Post No.3550

 

 

Pictures are taken from different sources; thanks.

 

 

contact; swami_48@yahoo.com

 

 

Garlanding statues of Gods and leaders, garlanding visiting dignitaries are common sights in India. Exchanging garlands is a marriage ritual as well. Giving flowers to women, offering flowers to Gods are also an everyday sight in India. All these started with the Hindus thousands of years ago according to Sanskrit and Tamil literature.

 

Jayamala ceremony is part of a marriage in North and South, showing Indian culture is one.

In my article FLOWERS IN TAMIL CULTURE posted on 25^th August 2012, I have dealt with the Flower vendors in Sangam Tamil Literature, Kapilar’s listing of 99 flowers, Tamil classification of flowers, Tamil’s obsession with flowers even in the wars, 27 leaves to God Vinayaka, Famous Andal garland of Srivilliputtur, Onam Pukkolam and Pushpanchali.

 

Garlands are used from the Swayamvara (A princess choosing a King as her husband by garlanding) days.

 

Giving flowers to women was also started by the Hindus at least 2000 years ago. Let me give some examples from Kalidasa’s works:-

 

In the most famous drama of Sakuntala (Act 7-1), we read about garlands:

“Glancing up with a smile at Jayanta, his son

who stood beside him longing inwardly for the same,

Hari placed around my neck the Mandara garland

tinged with golden sandal rubbed off his chest”

 

 

 

In the Kumara Sambhava (3-22), the Master’s command is imagined to be a garland offered as a gift of favour.

In the Raghu vamsa (18-29)the king was, as it were, the crest garland of his race suggesting thereby the marks of a good rule.

The Love god whose energy had diminished with the departure of spring seems to be regaining his vim and vigour through the head hair of pretty women, for they are letting it loose after a bath aesthetically, per-fumigating it tastefully, and slicing evening jasmine flowers pleasingly. [16-50]

 

(Kiraataarjuniiyam also has a reference).

 

 

In the Raghuvamsa (6-80), Indumati’s glance itself was like the Swayamvara garland to Aja. The flowers in the garland were fresh and white and her steady glances were also white.

Keeping flowers in the ear or just above the ear is also mentioned in Kalidasa:-

Meghaduta. – 28, 67

 

“Where women toy with a lotus held in hand

twine fresh jasmines in the hair

the beauty of their faces glows pale gold

dusted with the pollen of lodhra flowers

fresh amaranth blooms encircle the hair-knot

a delicate Sirisa mestles at the ear

and on the hair parting lie Kadamba blossoms

born at your coming (verse 67, Megaduta)

 

Sakuntala : 1-4; 1-30; 6-18; in the prologue as well.

 

Raghu.7-26; 9-28, 9-43, 16-62

In the Tamil literature

Flower or tender plant in the ear:

Kurinjip paattu (Kapilar) 119-120

Tiru murukku-(Nakkirar)-30-31; 207

Paripaatal – 11-95; 12-88

 

GIVING FLOWERS TO A WOMAN

Kuruntokai belongs to Sangam period. The very first verse is about a man giving flowers to a woman he loves. It is sung by Tiputolar.

 

Natrinai, part of 2000 year old Tamil Sangam Literature, describes the garland worn by a man who came to see his lady love. He came wearing a garland made up of wild jasmine flowers and Bilva (Vilvam) leaves. Kalidasa also mentioned jasmine flowers in the hair of women. It showed that there was only one culture from the southern most part to the Northern Himalayas.

 

one of the verses in Marutham genre describes that when the farmers go to the fields, heroines (women) get flowers and garlands.

Natrinai verse 173 says that the women gathered flowers and made into a garland for Lord Skanda. She did it to so that her lover would marry her soon.

Purananuru verse 106 by Kapilar mentions that god wont reject even leaves and grass offered, reflecting the Bhagavad Gita verse 9-26 (Patram pushpam phalam toyam……)
This flower giving and garlanding is another proof to show that Indian culture is one from south to north and the Aryan-Dravidian Race theory is a fake one. No ancient culture has this flower culture.

–Subham–