The Parijat finds reference in many ancient Indian tales. Our oldest text Rigved mentions this plant. In the Harivansh Puran, the tree is referred to as the ‘Kalpataru’ or the wish-fulfilling tree. This tree with its fragrant orange-stalked white flowers was one of the divine offerings obtained from the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), which Lord Indra took to the high heavens with him.
While accounts differ as to the reasons, the legends describe at least one major battle fought between Lord Krishna and Lord Indra to bring the Parijat tree down to the earth from the heavens. Needless to say, Sri Krishna won and the Parijat came to us in all its divine beauty.
Native to India, this beautiful garden plant also has a host of medicinal uses. Each part of the plant helps to heal – from sciatica to arthritis, from anti-helminthic activity to anti-pyretic, and from skin ailments to sleeplessness - as per the Ayurveda.
In addition, the orange-coloured portion of the flower had earlier been used to extract a dye called nyctanthin for colouring silk.
The element of poetry and mystic melancholy that is subtly attached to the Parijat tree comes from the fact that each night of its flowering season, this tree blooms into numerous tiny white blossoms – which almost all detach from the branches and fall down by the time morning comes. So much so that even the scientific name of Parijat cannot escape poetry - Nyctanthes arbor-tristis literally translates into Night-flowering (Nyctanthes).