The essentials
Indian tradition placed great value on trees and gardens. The Vrikshayurveda literature (including Surapala's work and a chapter in Varahamihira's Brihat Samhita) explains how to choose soil, plant saplings, water them, treat diseases and even produce plants with unusual flowers or fruits. Grafting and propagation from cuttings were known. Planting trees was considered a meritorious act; Ashoka's seventh pillar edict mentions planting banyan trees along roads for shade and mango groves for people and animals.
Gardens (upavana, udyana) were laid out near palaces, temples and towns. Mango, jackfruit, banana, coconut, pomegranate and many flowering plants were grown. Sacred groves protected by communities in many regions have helped conserve biodiversity.
Fishing was an important livelihood along rivers and coasts. The Arthashastra mentions regulation of fishing and a share for the state. The 12th-century encyclopaedic work Manasollasa, attributed to the Chalukya king Someshvara III, describes recreational fishing and lists many kinds of fish. Methods included nets, hooks and lines, traps and building fish ponds.
Key points
- Horticulture: growing fruits, vegetables, flowers; arboriculture: growing and caring for trees.
- Techniques: grafting, cuttings, careful watering, manuring with kunapajala.
- Ashoka: trees along roads, wells and rest houses for travellers.
- Sacred groves: community-protected forests.
- Manasollasa: describes fishing among royal pastimes.
Exam tips
- Remember the Ashoka–roadside trees link and the Manasollasa–fishing link.
- Know the difference between horticulture and arboriculture.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Vrikshayurveda deals only with medicinal plants; it covers trees and gardening generally.
- Attributing the Manasollasa to the Gupta period — it is a 12th-century Chalukya work.