Banana Blossom – A symbol of Heritage

A Banana Blossom. Image Source: Belongs to Respective Owner.

Nature always has fascinated us with its versatility. The mountains , the valleys, the rivers, seas and the sky. Everything is beautiful about the environment. Besides all of these the one thing that catches our eyes are flowers. Flowers not only beautify our space but also add fragrance to our life. Each flower has its unique character.

Humans have been using flowers to decorate homes either by planting flowering plants in the gardens or keeping them in the vases. They have also been painted and carved on walls and doors as motifs and decorative elements.

During the Mughal era, important attention was given to the floral motifs which have been ornamented in many of their structures like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort, etc. Shirley Poppies have appeared frequently in their artwork. Similarly the beautiful Plumeria is seen in many of the Rajput paintings and carvings.

Adorning the beautiful blessing of God was one of the important motives in the Medieval Period. In the Deccan under the Peshwa period, it was the Banana blossom embellishment was the main characteristics of wooden makara (arch).

Banana flower endings at Nana Wada. PC : Anuradha Goyal

Banana flower gives the message of calmness, humility, not getting caught up in negativity; understanding that “what goes around comes around”. It stands for ‘Humility Rooted in Calmness’ (excerpted from The Essential Flower Essence Handbook)

According to legend, the Banana fertilizes itself without cross pollination. So it is regarded as an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. In the Western Ghats, the Banana tree is believed to be the Goddess Nanda Devi. The Banana plant is considered sacred to the nine forms of the Hindu goddess Kali. (Mythology of Indian Plants)

Due to its mythological importance and the message it gives Banana flowers might have been sculpted on the beam brackets on the wadas, during the Peshwa period. The carvings are the detailed work made on the wooden teak arches.The flower grows on the end of the stem holding a cluster of bananas in the similar manner it is chiseled on the pillars of the wadas.

Wooden Arch Decorated with Banana Blossom Carving. Image Source: Author

The famous wadas having these fashioned pillars are Shaniwar Wada, Vishrambaug Wada in Pune. In Nashik, one finds such ornamented beam brackets in ‘Sarkarwada’ and ‘Muthe’s Goreram Temple’. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalay, in Mumbai has adorned its wooden castle on the first floor from the wada of Nashik and thus the arches here also have banana embellishments. Wadas, in all over Maharashtra has banana blossom cut arches. Next time if you go to any wada do notice the carving and you will be amazed by its intricate design.

Bookmarks by studio adda. Grab them before they get over.

studio adda acknowledged this beautiful casts when the team was researching and documenting ‘Shree Goreram Temple, Panchavati.’ In their documentation they didn’t compromise in showing its beauty. Recently we launched a set of Postcards and Bookmarks on ‘Old Nashik Heritage’. The postcards and bookmarks are also dedicated to this decorated carvings done in the temple. We have acknowledged its array and are trying to spread the word about it by making such beautiful heritage in the public realm. Here is the look of the postcards and bookmarks. You can order these bookmarks form our official website!

Written by - Ishwari Khandelwal, Research Assistant at studio adda