"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
Dr P.N. Ravindran, an authority on Indian Heritage Plants, wrote an exceptional, ‘not-to-be-forgotten book on the ICONIC PLANTS OF INDIA after his debut books Lotus the Cosmic Flower & Sacred and Ritual Plants of India.
This book ‘The Iconic Plants of India’ offers a unique journey through the myths, legends, lore, symbolism, and traditions associated with 20 plants (trees and herbs) that have achieved iconic status in the socio-religious and socio-cultural life of India from the ancient Vedic and epic times. Some of them are valuable offerings to deities; some are worshipped, and some even attained the status of deities or substitutes for deities. The introductory chapter on trees and tree worship will act as a springboard for the readers to move through this noteworthy 2-volume set.
The book delves into the significant role of plants in shaping the Indian culture, from the Vedic and the later Puranic periods. It explores how the protagonists of Indian culture and philosophy chose a forest life, where plants and groves became part of their belief systems. The Vedic culture and the ritual practices that form the foundations of Hinduism originated and evolved in the forests. During the Vedic, Puranic, and post-Puranic periods, people held some trees and herbs as particularly sacred, and specific symbolism, philosophy, and traditions developed associated with such plants. For the readers, this book will be a window to peep into the past life of our distant forefathers living in unison with nature and help them glimpse the roles of plants and plant life in shaping their thoughts and beliefs.
P.N. Ravindran
Ravindran PN/Dr was a member of the Indian Agricultural Research Service (ICAR-IARS). He is best known for contributing to Spice's research, development, and documentation. He functioned as Director of ICAR-IISR; National Coordinator for Spices Research (ICAR), founder-director of the Centre for Medicinal Plants Research (CMPR), Kottakkal, and Research Advisor for Tata Global Beverages, Bangalore. Ravindran has authored many globally acclaimed books, such as Black Pepper (Harwood Academic, now CRC Press ), Cardamom-the genus Elettaria (Taylor & Francis), Cinnamon & Cassia, the Genus Cinnamomum (CRC Press), Ginger, the genus Zingiber (CRC Press), Turmeric-the genus Curcuma (CRC Press) as well as a database volume on Indian spices, Advances in Spices Research. He is the author of the monumental Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Spices (2-volume set, CABI, UK), the most authoritative book on spices. Dr Ravindran is the Chief Editor of the recently published 5-volume, 4400-page - magnum opus Handbook of Indian Spices- 75 Years of Research and Development (2024) published by Springer Nature this year.
Dr Ravindran has spent around 20 years since his superannuation from ICAR service studying the heritage plants of India. His study led to the publication of Lotus- The Cosmic Flower (2017), the only book that provides a holistic presentation of the lotus flower and its pervasive impacts on Hindu and Buddhist religions, culture, literature, art and architecture. He is the author of the comprehensive Sacred and Ritual Plants of India (2020), which presents in a holistic and narrative discussion all aspects of the sacred plants of India and their impact on the socio-religious and socio-cultural lives of the Indian Hindus.
