Jammi That Gave Refuge to Pandavas Weapons Hogs Limelight on Dasara
Hyderabad: Drought-resistant Jammi or Shami tree plays an important role on the Dasara festival when people exchange its leaves while greeting others.
"Those who have a Jammi tree in their home perform puja on Dasara, and sometimes even on Saturday, to appease Lord Shani. This ritual is believed to reduce the malefic effects of Saturn for those experiencing the Sade Sati phase," said Sanduri Sandeep, a resident of Monda Market.
On Dasara, the sale of Jammi leaves, locally referred to as Vendi (silver), and Apta tree leaves — colloquially calledBangaram (gold) shoot up. People exchange these leaves with friends and family, regardless of caste or religion, to strengthen bonds and promote harmony.
Jammi tree’s scientific name is Prosopis Cineraria, while Apta tree is known as Bauhinia racemosa. Both the trees are drought-resistant and have high medicinal values and therefore considered to be the symbols of prosperity and peace.
It is said that the Pandavas hid their weapons on Shami tree for one year when they had to remain incognito. They seem to have chosen this tree as it was drought-resistant and had little chance of leaves falling off revealing the weapons hidden on the branches.
While these trees were once abundant in Hyderabad, they have become rare because of urbanisation. As a result, traders from rural areas bring the leaves to sell in the city.
To address this issue, Sanjeev Raghavender Yadav, co-founder of the Green India Challenge, has been distributing saplings and encouraging families to plant these trees. "The Jammi tree is Telangana’s state tree, and holds both great spiritual and cultural importance."
He added, "However, the tree's numbers have significantly decreased over the years, which is why we’ve launched a novel initiative to distribute and plant Jammi saplings in every temple across Telangana, coinciding with the Dasara festival."
