Nature as Non-terrestrial

Abstract

A complex process of place-making by Vedic and Purāṇ ic primary narratives and localized oral secondary narratives shows how nature in India is perceived from a deeply humanized worldview. Some form of cosmic descent from other place-worlds or lokas are used to account for the sacredness of a landscape in the primary narrative called stala purāṇ a, while secondary narratives, called stala māhāṭ mya, recount the human experience of the sacred. I suggest that sacred geography is not geography of "terrestrial" but of implaced otherworldly materials--rivers, mountains or forests. An ecological ethics based on sacred geography must therefore take into account the sacred aspects of such narratives and encourage normative values that could apply to both the sacred and the ecological for such places.

Engaging with plants in an urban environment through street art and design

“…In religious art and architecture, botanical forms were used for ornamental purposes and for their symbolic value due to the importance of plants in Indian religious texts such as the Vedas and the Puranas, foundational scriptures of the dominant Hindu religion in India. These texts were written by sages who lived in the forests and include various passages and hymns that uphold the centrality of nature to life, and evoke botanical themes with both reverence and celebration (Baindur, 2009;Gupta, 1996;Krishna, 2017;Simoons, 1998). Patnaik (1999) observed that plant motifs such as leaves, trees, flowers, and garlands were almost always included with the sculpted rows of sensual female forms in Indian temple art, suggesting that the use of these motifs was cosmetic and served to reinforce the idea that nature was the best way to lend beauty to any form.…”

“…Austin (2017, Plants are intimately interwoven into cultural traditions in India and play a significant role in the lives of Indian people. Apart from its art, craft, and design, other aspects of Indian culture that are profoundly intertwined with plants include religion and myth (Baindur, 2009;Gupta, 1996;Krishna, 2017), traditional medicinal practices (Patnaik, 1999;Simoons, 1998), and rituals and festivals (Baindur, 2009;Herbert, 2012;Nath & Mukherjee, 2015;Wilson, 2016).…”