Tree worship: An important pant of Hinduism and related religions.

Navrang India April 26, 2025

Peepal tree /astroera.in/blog

 Trees and humans have a deeply intertwined and interdependent relationship, with humans relying on trees for various essential needs and, in turn, humans having a role in the care and preservation of trees. No doubt, this unique  relationship is multifaceted, encompassing biological, ecological, and cultural and religious  dimensions. Trees also symbolize growth, longevity, and the balance between earthly and spiritual realms. 

Hinduism and trr worship.arboriculture.wordpress.com

Trees have been revered in Indian culture since ancient times, deeply woven into religious, spiritual, and everyday life. In Hinduism, trees are believed to be conscious beings capable of feeling joy, sorrow, and pain, symbolizing the human life cycle from birth to death cradle to the grave.  A few decades ago a Botany professor at Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu proposed a theory that "trees and plants grow better in response to music."They represent growth, death, and rebirth, with evergreen trees like the banyan symbolizing immortality and fertility.  Many religions of the world have some kind of  links with the trees.  The Yule Tree in German mythology, the Tree of Knowledge of Judaism and Christianity, the Christmas tree,  the Bodhi tree in Buddhism and Saglagar tree in Mongolian Tengrism are worth mentioning.   Being in the presence of trees is beneficial for human psychological and physical health.

Bel -Bilva tree (dear to Lord Shjva). kannadigaworld.com

Various trees hold sacred associations: the peepal is linked to Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, the bel tree to Lord Shiva, and the kadamba tree to Lord Krishna. The Bodhi tree is central to Buddhism, revered as the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. Bel rudraksha (seeds of Elaeocarpus) and Ber (Zizyphus jujuba) are believed to be closely associated with Lord Shiva and wearing the dry beads with certain number of  faces is considered good for the people. 

Buddha meditating under Bodhi (Peepal)  tree.

Making a wish onlinetemple.com

In Tamil Nadu and other regions, women pray to trees with bhakti, tying model cradles on the tree branch along with turmeric-dipped cloths, seeking blessings for childbirth, success in exams, or relief from illnesses. Childless women in the rural areas go round the a large old Pepel tree with a Hindu deity in the shadow to be blessed with a child.  

There is a close similarity between the life cycle of humans and that of trees for they . They represent a powerful symbol of birth, growth, death and rebirth. The various phases of growth of trees, the annual death and revival of their foliage, make the trees stand apart.

Folk traditions speak of yakshas, benevolent or malevolent spirits believed to inhabit trees, leading people to offer incense and candles or place deity idols under sacred trees. Trees also play a vital role in daily rituals: banana trunks adorn wedding venues, and poles made of sacred wood are used in marriage ceremonies.

S.Indian wedding and Plantain tree. pinterest.com

 In temples, the main tree, or Sthala Vriksha, is worshiped before rituals, and temple festivals begin with the hoisting of flags on wooden flagpoles. In death ceremonies in Hinduism, bamboo poles and coconut leaves are used to construct the "paadai" (bier) to carry the deceased to the burial ground, while cow dung cakes and firewood are used for cremation, showing the inseparable bond between trees and human life on one hand and the earth on the other. We came from the earth and ultimately go unto it.

Puri temples three Rathas,jagannathtemplepuri.com  

Puri jagannath temple, Puri, Odisha newglobalindian.com

Above image: At the popular Jagannath temple of Puri, Odisha the three wooden idols made of holy neem trees  are:God  Krishna, his brother god Balarama and their sister Goddess Subathra.The wooden idols will be changed every 12 years or so and the new ones are made afresh. The worship here has links with tribal rituals of the past. 

At the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha the idols of Sri Krishna, Sri Balarama, and sister goddess Subhadra are carved from neem wood and replaced every 12 years. The rathas - chariots at Puri  are entirely made of wood and every year old chariots are replaced by new ones. So is the case of many temple chariots across India.  Trees not only nurture our spirituality but also sustain ecological balance by providing oxygen, shelter, medicine, and maintaining the water cycle. Without trees, human civilization would face ecological and existential collapse

https://astroera.in/blog/trending-blog/the-significance-of-the-peepal-tree-in-hinduism

https://onlinetemple.com/religious-trees-their-significance-in-hinduism

https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/11-sacred-trees-which-have-religious-significance-in-hindu-religion

https://arboriculture.wordpress.com/2016/11/05/trees-and-religion-hinduis