NEW DELHI: As the legend goes, Hanuman couldn’t readily identify the Sanjeevani Booti, the life-saving medicinal herb, on Dronagiri, the Himalayan mountain. So, he plucked the mountain and flew back to Lanka. He wouldn’t have to do that today. The life-saving medicinal herb, Selaginella Bryopteris, is not only easily identifiable but its location can now be pin-pointed to the nearest metre.
The government intends to launch commercial cultivation of the herb in the Himalayas. In Ladakh, to be precise. The programme is being handled by the local administration in Ladakh. The herb, whose life-reviving properties are well advertised in India through the Ramayana, is said to restore life even of the comatose. The true potency will of course be revealed once the administration comes out with its research.
The Leh-based lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the world’s highest agro-animal research laboratory, has been researching this wonder plant for more than a decade. The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh recently shared the information with Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on a visit to Delhi.
It’s not just Sanjeevani Booti. Two other medicinal plants will also be commercially produced. In the days when Ram was desperate to treat brother Laxman with the Sanjeevani Booti after he was felled unconscious by Ravan’s son, the medicinal herb was apparently located in the Dronagiri Mountain. The mountain is said to be close to the Chinese border.
The herb has a peculiar feature. It is seen at heights of over 15,000 feet. And it grows only at night, at least that is what’s mythologically known. The fact will come out when the product is launched.
A statement released by the ministry gives some additional details: “The Sanjeevani booty is in local parlance in Ladakh region known as ‘Sola’. It has very high life-saving and therapeutic properties.”
Besides this initiative, Ladakh is all set to have India’s first ‘Night Sky Sanctuary’ on the premises of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. It will have all facilities to enable people to gaze at the night sky and enjoy watching the stars.
It will be situated in Hinkle village, which is famous for the 17th-century Hanle monastery. Hanle is best suited because it is located in Ladakh’s cold desert region, away from the hustle and bustle of human activity. The site will be the highest-located in the world for optical and gamma-ray telescopic viewing of the sky at night.
The Department of Science and Technology is spearheading this programme to boost Astro-tourism. “This will be set up in next three months in first of its kind unique initiative started by department,” a ministry statement said. A tripartite agreement was recently signed between the UT administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.