Kalpa Tree ‘Kalpavriksha’: The Sacred Wishing Tree Has Been Object Of Adornment And Worship Since Ancient Times

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Worshiping trees is one of the oldest traditions in India. One such sacred tree is the Kalpa Tree, also known as the Kalpavriksha, which is believed to be a wishing tree. This tree produced the fruit that nourished the first men.

Kalpavriksha is a unique tree, a divine tree, a celestial tree, or a spiritual tree.

According to ancient beliefs, the Kalpa Tree should be revered because it has a solid connection to the divine and means much more than only fulfilling people's wishes.

It is a sacred object in Buddhism and Jain cosmology and is often mentioned in Sanskrit literature from the earliest sources and in Hindu myths. In Hindu religious beliefs, Kalpavriksha is considered the tree of life – the "World Tree" mentioned in the Vedic scriptures.

The king of the gods, Indra, the most important god in the Vedic religion, returned with Kalpavriksha to his abode and planted it at Mt. Meru peak in the middle of Indra's five paradise gardens.

But why did Indra take the sacred Kalpavriksha tree to his paradise?

Kalpataru, the divine tree of life being guarded by mythical creatures Kinnara and Kinnari, flying Apsara (a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology) and Devata - 8th-century Pawon temple, Java, Indonesia. Credit: Gunawan Kartapranata - CC BY-SA 3.0

A myth explains that Kalpavriksha was once on earth, but people started misusing it by wishing evil and wrong things.

In Indra's "Devaloka" (or "deva loka") - a plane of existence for both gods and devas - there are as many as five Kalpavrikshas, which are called Mandana, Parijata, Santana, Kalpavriksha, and Harichandana.

In Jainism, an ancient Indian religion, there are as many as ten sacred Kalpavrikshas.

Kalpavrikshaand Peacocks, Shiva Temple, Prambanan, Central Java. Credit: Photo Dharma - CC BY 2.0

These trees grant wishes regarding garments, utensils, nourishment, place to reside, ornaments, pleasant music, wonderful aromatic flowers, and shining lamps. All these trees fulfill various wishes.

Kalpavriksha - famous in iconography and widely described in ancient literature - is also identified with several other sacred trees because the different trees hold religious importance in India and other countries of the Far East. With time, they acquired social and religious sanctity.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

Updated on Dec 7, 2023.

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