PATHANAMTHITTA: Mostly seen in the foothills of the Himalayas, the rare ‘Elaeocarpus Ganitrus’ trees in Gavi are now turning out to be a money spinner for the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC).
Rudraksha, the dried seeds of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus tree, are held sacred and believed to be made from the tears of Lord Shiva. It is also sacred for Buddhists and used as prayer beads by them. KFDC officials talking to TNIE said that there is a robust demand for the beads with an increasing number of tourists buying them for religious purpose and as souvenirs.
Jomy Augustine, a botanist said the rudraksha trees are mainly seen in Nepal and North Indian states like UP. “It is rarely seen in South India. The trees, which are seen in Gavi areas, might have been planted by somebody who brought the seeds or sapling from North India. This tree grows quickly and starts bearing fruits,” he added.
The tree starts flowering during the months of November-December.Flowers are white in colour and fruits start appearing by the end of January. KFDC workers collect the fruits and process it to make the seeds finer. It is mainly sold in the ecoshop of KFDC in Gavi and other places.
“The fruit has a blue outer husk. Our workers remove the soft blue outer husk after immersing the fruit in water. The inner seed is the rudraksha. After washing in water, it will be smeared with oil to make it smooth and fine,” said an official of KFDC.
He added that there is good demand from tourists and it is sold in a packet of five and priced at Rs 50.
Padmanabhan Selvaraj, who belongs to one of the Sri Lankan Tamil families residing at Gavi, said that when they go other places to see their friends and relatives, they gift rudraksha to them. Lankan Tamils were rehabilitated in Gavi, Kochu Pamba, Meenar, Pathinalam Mile and 18 Inch Colony as part of an Indo-Sri Lanka pact in the 70s. Most of them work in the plantations and shops of KFDC.