Vijayalakshmi Rudrappan
Ennar Engineering and Marketing
From the lure of the Lotus that connects most of our South Asian cultures, to the many flowers that connect our daily lives, to divine experiences, the fragrance and artistry of floral traditions are woven into our lives and psyche. Flowers hold a special position in every phase of life’s celebrations, festivals and prayers, from cradle to grave. Apart from their amazing beauty of form, color, fragrance and texture, there is something more – an indefinable, subtle and mysterious quality about flowers. It is this subtle element – their soul – which has given flowers such a special place in every culture.
India is home to some of the world’s most ancient peoples and traditions, with the Indus civilization dating from 3,000 BCE. Hinduism, one of the main Indian religions, is more than 2,000 years old. With more than 15,000 species of flowering plants in India, it is not surprising that Indians use flowers in a variety of traditions, such as medicine, religious services and marriages. From Vedic rites handed down from ancient times, to global adaptations like Valentine’s Day, flowers lend meaning to many moments in our lives.
Flowers represent the country’s unity in the form of diversity, providing a rich cultural fragrance and value. This diversity is also manifested in the way flowers are strung together to make different type of garlands across South India.
In this brief overview of South Indian Floral Traditions, I attempt to bring together little and well known facts or anecdotes that convey the beauty and importance of flowers, along with the uses, myths, mysteries and mythology that surround flowers. In addition, different techniques of garland making and stringing of flowers without the use of needle and thread, unique to South India, will be highlighted.
(Presented in the 2014 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Flower Culture in Asia, 8-9 July 2014, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, and Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University)