Madhavi Lata.

Madhavi Lata is a woody high climbing Vine with clusters of very attractive and fragrant flowers, the flower colors varying from white to yellow and pink. The gigantic Madhavi Lata Creeper with white flowers you see in the top photographs is the one decorating the West façade of our house. The tree has grown up to a height of 30 feet that is on to the terrace of our two-floor house and this Creeper has spread all over the façade, terrace, adjacent trees and the neighbor’s house. The stems just shoot out in different directions trying to hold on to anything and once they come in contact with it, they just entwine and grow on it. The flowers have very attractive shape and the fragrance is very strong, pleasant and resembles a fruity perfume, the fragrance is said to improve sensuality and emotional comfort. The flowers are there for almost three quarters of the year spreading their perfume into our house and on to the road. This plant has existed in India since ancient times and it is so popular that there are many legends, poetry and mentions of it in ancient Indian literature.

This Creeper is said to have got its name after Madhavi the daughter of Yayati, the fifth King of the Chandra Vamsha / Dynasty. Yayati had two wives, Devayani and Sarmishta. Devayani gave birth to a son named Yaadu and Sarmishta gave birth to a son Puru. These two sons grew up to become great Kings and were the basis for two Dynasties named after them. Yayati subsequently had three sons. Yayati lived happily with this family and his kingdom. In his old age, he once met Lord Indra. They spoke on various subjects for a long time and when the old King returned to his palace he was a changed man. He wanted to live longer and he wished the same for all his subjects. He ordered his people to lead a pious life without any desires and passions and that would bring them immortality. As a result, deaths were few and birth none. This infuriated God Indra as the cycle of Life and Death virtually stopped. So he sent Asurvindumati daughter of Kamadeva - the God of love; to King Yayati to bring about a change in the King’s new philosophy. On seeing the beautiful Asurvindumati the king’s beliefs changed, he immediately fell in love with her. He wanted to marry her but he was very old and she very young. He approached his five sons asking any one of them to sacrifice their youth to him and take away his old age. While other sons refused, Puru his most devoted and loving son accepted. Yayati took his son’s youth and married Asurvindumati and lived happily. They were soon blessed with a daughter who was named Madhavi meaning springtime, resembling spring, fresh and youthful. Madhava is one of the innumerable names of Lord Vishnu and hence Madhavi also refers to one of the names of Goddess Lakshmi. Asurvindumati returned back to Heaven afterwards, and Yayati spent another thousand years in pleasure and health, then got tired of being young and active, and returned the youth back to his son Puru. Yayati then retired into the woods, stopped consuming food and eventually died. Madhavi grew up into a beautiful young woman. One night, she heard a whisper out of a mango tree. She went to the tree to enquire who it was. The tree said, “I have come for you, my beloved one, come to me". As she touched the trunk; the Mango tree turned into a handsome young man and embraced her. The young man was the incarnation of God Prajayapati, the Creator of Life. The two joined together and stayed together; the strong Mango tree, the symbol of life and the spring-like, youthful, fragrant, Madhavi getting entwined with the tree. Lata means a Creeper, a Creeping plant. Since ancient times, in India, a Mango tree and its fruits are considered as one of God’s best blessings and the Madhavi Lata flowers as a symbol of love and spirituality.

Among many other ancient references of Madhavi Lata, one is that of Goddess Lakshmi. Goddess Lakshmi the mother of Earth; is symbolically the creeping Vine – Madhavi and Lord Vishnu is a Mango tree around which the Goddess clings for support. Another reference to the union of Madhavi Lata and the Mango tree is when Rishi Kanva finds out that his adopted daughter Shakuntala had met King Dushyanta, the man of her choice and a great king, he says to her “I have been looking for a good and handsome Mango tree for you and now that you have found one (referring to King Dushyanta) I shall give you, my Madhavi Lata (referring to Shakuntala) to him in marriage”.

The scientific name of Madhavi Lata is Hiptage benghalensis or Hiptage madablota. And the common name is Hiptage pronounced as Hip-tah-jee. The plant has many commercial uses. Apart from its ornamental, fragrant and beautiful growth in houses and parks it is cultivated for medicinal purposes. It holds a reputed position in Indian medicine. The bark, the leaves and flowers are used in the treatment of cough, burning sensation, inflammation, skin diseases and in the cure of rheumatism and asthma.