Sandalwood in India: Historical and cultural significance of Santalum album L. as a basis for its conservation

Abstract

Santalum album L. popularly known as Indian sandalwood, “Srigandha” or “Chandana” has been the most valuable timber in India known for its religious and cultural value since time immemorial. It is deeply associated with the social rituals of Indians and has held a special place in all the major religions of India. The significance of Indian sandalwood and its intimate association with Indians is greatly reflected in written records and oral traditions of India. The heartwood is highly priced for its enriched aromatic essential oil in National and International markets. The oil is used in aroma therapy, cosmetics, perfumes, pharmaceuticals and as an essential commodity on special occasions. Indian sandalwood is indigenous to peninsular India. Due to over-exploitation and illicit felling, S. album is enlisted in vulnerable category of IUCN Red List. Despite its huge commercial and cultural relevance to India, the sandalwood improvement program has been limited and research addressing the two commercially important traits like heartwood formation and essential oil yield has not generated noteworthy output to support an effective breeding program for this important tree species. Considering its cultural and religious importance there is an urgent need to conserve the species. The present study envisages the values, beliefs, stature of sandalwood in Indian culture and how the traditional knowledge can be made use off in formulating the strategies for effective conservation of this flagship species.

Full text

NeBIO I www.nebio.in I December 2019 I 10(4): 235-241
Received 21 November 2019 I Accepted 29 December 2019 I Published online 31 December 2019
Citation: Sandeep C. & Manohara T.N. 2019. Sandalwood in India: Historical and cultural significance of
Santalum album
L. as a basis for its
conservation. NeBIO 10(4): 235-241.
Acknowledgement
The authors are thankful to the Director, Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru and to the Director, Kerala Forest Research Institute,
Thrissur, Kerala for their constant support and encouragement. Authors arealso thankful to the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), New Delhi.
Financial support from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), Government of India through Senior Research Fellowship to Sandeep
C(09/813(0003)/2015 EMR I) is gratefully acknowledged.
Copyright © Sandeep & Manohara. 2019. NECEER, Imphal allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
NeBIO,
An International Journal of Environment and Biodiversity
Official publication of North East Centre for Environmental Education (NECEER), Imphal I ISSN 2278-2281 (Online), 0976-3597 (Print) I www.nebio.in
REVIEW ARTICLE
Sandalwood in India: Historical and cultural significance of
Santalum album
L. as a basis for
its conservation
Sandeep C.* & Manohara T.N.
Silviculture and Forest Management Division,
Institute of Wood Science and Technology, 18th Cross, Malleswaram, Bengaluru, India
Email: sandeep.c.naidu@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Santalum album
L. popularly known as Indian sandalwood, “Srigandha” or “Chandana” has been the most valuable timber in
India known for its religious and cultural value since time immemorial. It is deeply associated with the social rituals of Indians
and has held a special place in all the major religions of India. The significance of Indian sandalwood and its intimate
association with Indians is greatly reflected in written records and oral traditions of India. The heartwood is highly priced for its
enriched aromatic essential oil in national and international markets. The oil is used in aroma therapy, cosmetics, perfumes,
pharmaceuticals and as an essential commodity on special occasions. Indian sandalwood is indigenous to peninsular India. Due
to over-exploitation and illicit felling,
S. album
is enlisted in vulnerable category of IUCN Red List. Despite its huge commercial
and cultural relevance to India, the sandalwood improvement program has been limited and research addressing the two
commercially important traits like heartwood formation and essential oil yield has not generated noteworthy output to support
an effective breeding program for this important tree species. Considering its cultural and religious importance, there is an
urgent need to conserve the species. The present study envisages the values, beliefs, stature of sandalwood in Indian culture
and how the traditional knowledge can be made use in formulating the strategies for effective conservation of this flagship
species.
KEYWORDS: Chandana, conservation, Indian heritage, sandalwood, traditional knowledge.
Introduction
Indian sandalwood (
Santalum album
L. Family: Santalaceae) is an
evergreen tree commonly found in dry deciduous forests of India.
It can reach a height of 20 m and attain a girth of 2.5 m (Fig. 1)
(Sen Sarma, 1982; Rai, 1990; Viswanath
et al.,
2009). It can grow
from sea level to 5000 m altitude (Rama Rao, 1908; Venkatesan,
1980; Rai, 1990) and can associate with more than 300 species of
plants (Rama Rao, 1903; Rama Rao, 1911; Annapurna
et al.,
2006).
It is an obligate hemi-parasite, hardy species and can adapt well
in various agro-climatic conditions (Troup, 1921; Annapurna
et al.,
2006). The seeds of
S. album
exhibit polymorphic forms.
Karyotyping of chromosomes revealed that the somatic cells of
Santalum
were diploid and the chromosome number in
S. album
was 2n=20 or n=10 (Darlington and Wylie, 1955; Zhang
et al.,
2010). Being an out-crossing species, it shows variations in leaf
size and shape, flower structure, flowering season, heartwood
and oil content (Kulkarni and Srimathi, 1982; Arun Kumar
et al.,
2012). It is popularly known as white sandalwood, also popular as

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“Dollar earning parasite” (Krishnappa, 1972; Durairaj and Kamraj,
2013) and its essential oil is ordained as “Queen of essential oil”
(Radomiljac
et al.,
1998). It is well known as “Indian sandalwood”
whereas, it’s oil as “East Indian sandalwood oil” in western
societies and has huge demand in the international and national
markets. It is indigenous to peninsular India (Ramaswamy, 1956;
Gairola
et al.,
2008) and exploited rampantly for its high economic
worth (Fox, 2000). It is distributed 30°N to 40°S from Hawaiian
Archipelago in the north to New Zealand in the south and from
Indonesia in the east to Juan Fernandez Islands (Chile) in the
west. Indian sandalwood is a highly valued tree of global fame
and is acknowledged as Royal tree (Fox, 2000). More than 170
species of insect-pests are known to infect
S. album
and the spike
disease was once regarded as a major threat to this species.
Sandalwood bioresources of south India, especially, the
populations in its natural stands is seriously threatened and needs
immediate attention.
Figure 1. A very tall Sandalwood tree in the last remaining natural
sandalwood reservoir of Marayur, Kerala.
Historical and cultural importance of Indian sandalwood
Importance and uses of sandalwood in different times
Historically, sandalwood is amalgamated with the Indian heritage,
culture and tradition (Srinivasan
et al.,
1992; Fox, 2000). It is
commonly known as Chandana (Sanskrit) in India and as white
sandalwood (English) or as East Indian sandalwood in western
societies. Sandalwood is closely associated with human
civilization since time immemorial that has continued to fascinate
artists and craftsmen (Campbell, 1883; Kushalapa, 1998). The
largest market segment for Indian sandalwood are the products
and applications meant for religious, ritual and ceremonial
purposes. In Indian culture, it is regarded with special reverence.
Indians have a strong spiritual association with sandalwood and
the heartwood is burnt at weddings and funerals.
S. album
is the
state tree of Karnataka and Karnataka is critically acclaimed as
land of sandalwood (
Gandhada Nadu
), while the region in and
around ‘Mysuru’ is eulogized as a sandalwood shrine (
Gandhada
Gudi
) (Adkoli, 1977; Fox, 2000). From its natural area of
distribution (Campbell, 1883),
S. album
was introduced to
Northern, Central (Srinivasan
et al.,
1992), North Western (Das,
2013) and North Eastern India (Viswanath, 2014; Babita
et al
.,
2016). Though
S. album
is indigenous to Deccan plateau it is
getting naturalized in other parts of India and elsewhere (Sandeep
et al.,
2016). Indian sandalwood is idolized in most of the religions
especially Hinduism and Buddhism. Sandalwood is used in every
aspect of human life, especially in Indian culture and civilizations
as it is required from cradle to cremation. In India, it is used in the
production of attars from countless centuries. Attar is a blend of
sandalwood oil and flower oil, such as rose petal, jasmine, kewda
and others. The quality of attar is dependent on the concentration
of flower effervescence within sandalwood oil. Varieties of attar
products are produced in India and it forms an important
constituent for the manufacture of incense sticks and scented
tobacco such as Pan Masala, Zarada and Gutka. Its oil is used in
perfumeries, soaps and toiletries, ayurvedic and pharmaceutical
applications. Due to non-availability of sufficient quantity, oil
industries depending on
S. album
are forcibly yielding towards
alternatives of Western Australian, Fiji, New Caledonia and South
African
Santalum
species.
Vedic and Indus valley period
From the times of Harappan civilization tree worshiping was
practiced in India. Indians were very well aware of medicinal
importance of plants and mastered the art of ayurvedic medicine
since Vedic period. Vedic and Indus valley period witnessed
utilization of sandalwood in the form of fine woodworking artefact
or carving deities (Fig. 2), ritual bathing of Hindu deities, temple
construction material and for ceremonial causes (Campbell, 1883;
Adkoli, 1977; Kushalapa, 1998; Fox, 2000). Its importance in Indian
culture is referred in Vedic literature,
Puranas
(ancient Hindu texts
eulogizing various deities),
Subhashitas
(collection of eloquent
sayings written by ancient Sanskrit poets), mythology (stories on
supernatural beings and events) and in the ancient scriptures
(sacred writings). The Sanskrit manuscripts that are more than
4000 years old cite sandalwood oil as the oldest known perfumery

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ISSN 2278-2281 (Online), 0976-3597 (Print) I www.nebio.in
Figure 2. Sandalwood idols of Lord Krishna and Radha with decorative frames found in the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad.
material. During the age of Yajur Veda sandalwood was used in
sacrificial fires (Anon, 1972), while the treaties of loud hymns in
Rig Veda and melodious hymns of Sama Veda give indirect
evidence of Indian sandalwood. It is cited even in the oldest of
Indian literatures such as
Milinda Panha
(200 B.C.),
Patanjali
Mahabhasaya
(100 B.C.),
Dhamma Pada
,
Anguttara Nikaya
(The
teachings of Buddha) and
Vinaya Pitaka
(300-400 B.C.). In
Milinda
Panha
(Buddhist doctrine), Buddhist sage while referring to the
path of righteousness mentions that “
No flower’s scent can waft
against the wind, not sandalwood’s, nor musk’s, nor jasmine
flowers. But the fragrance of the good goes against the wind in all
directions the good man’s name pervades
”. While describing
‘
nibbana
’ in
Milinda Panha,
the sage also mentions that “
Like
sandalwood, it is hard to get, its fragrance is incomparable and it
is praised by good men
”. The medical treatises of
Charaka
and
Susruta
clearly gave the detailed description of Indian
sandalwood and called it as ‘
Shweta Chandana
’ (white
sandalwood). Later the name of ‘
Shweta Chandana
’ was adopted
and
S. album
was known by the common name of white
sandalwood.
Sandalwood in Puranic literature and Indian mythology
Puranic literature occupies an intermediate position and is
believed to be between Vedic age and the period of classical
literature (Pusalker, 1955). Eighteen major canonical
Puranas
were
written during the period and significant among themare
Agni
Varta Purana
,
Brahma Vaivarta Purana
,
Bhagavata Purana
,
Kurma
Purana
,
Matsya Purana
,
Skanda Purana, Shiva Dharma Purana,
Vamana Purana
and
Vayu Purana
. According to ‘
Kurma Purana’
,
the plants appeared on earth through the dermal pores of Lord
Brahma. Vyasa Rishi mentioned about the usage of Indian
sandalwood in
Puranas
. In ancient Hindu cultura, few trees have
been associated with wisdom, knowledge, hidden secrets and
considered as sacred. ‘
Agni Varta Purana
’ gives the details of
plants and plant materials to be used during
homa, havana
and
other religious ceremonies. It is an important ingredient in
‘
homa/havana’
, a Hindu ritual wherein offerings to the gods are
made into a fire on special occasions.
Brahma Vaivarta Purana
considers the importance of Indian sandalwood and narrates that
Brahma created it through meditative contemplation. In
Brahma
Vaivarta Purana,
it is mentioned that ‘
Goddess Lakshmi
’’ (Goddess
of wealth) resides in sandalwood, thus Indian sandalwood tree is
believed to be auspicious and bringer of wealth.
Vamana Purana
recommends the worship of ‘
Lord Shiva
‘ with the beige-colored
paste of Indian sandalwood. In south India, it is believed that
possession of healthy Indian sandalwood tree in one’s garden
would ward off evil spirits, black magic and attract wealth for the
owner. Even today some households in south India which are
aware of this fact prefer to plant sandalwood in their home
gardens to prosper wealth and is considered as a secretage-old
tradition. In Coimbatore, many households have planted
S. album
along with
Murraya koenigii
in their home gardens. Likewise,
S.
album
is commonly planted in the home gardens of many
households in Kerala. Indian mythology cites sandalwood in
various instances and according to a legend,
Goddess Parvati
created statue of a child using turmeric and sandalwood paste.
Later, the statue was blessed to life and came to be known as
‘
Lord Ganesha
’ (God of intellect). In
Bhagavata Purana
, an
appreciation hymn mentions that
Lord Krishna
and
Lord Balarama
on their way to
Vrishni
Kingdom came across a dwarf named
‘
Kubja
’ carrying paste of sandalwood to a tyrant king named
Kamsa. It is narrated that the dwarf lady was blessed by
Lord
Krishna
to become a beautiful woman after she applied the
sandalwood paste to those two divine brothers. According to
‘
Panchatantra
’ stories (before 5th century), Indian sandalwood was
endemic to the Malaya mountains of southern India. Indian
sandalwood was utilized, cultivated and traded by many cultures
throughout the world since several hundreds of years. In the
Ramayana while referring to river Tambrapani (
Tamara Parni
)
says that “river islands covered with forests of sandalwood goes
down the sea as a beloved maid to her lover”.
Indian sandalwood in various religious practices
Sandalwood has high spiritual significance in ritualistic practices
andis used in the sacred fires of Zoroastrian temples with a belief
that it soothes the troubles of all humanity. Egyptians and
B
C
A

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Ceylonese used it for medicinal purposes, religious purposes and
for embalming mummies. Indian sandalwood incense is the oldest
type of incense used that dates back to 4000 years old (Adkoli,
1977). It is burnt during prayers in Buddhist religion. It is
mentioned as an item of toiletry in Buddhist Jataka stories of 7th
century B.C. Herbalists believe that the fragrance emitted from
the sandalwood incense helps to promote an atmosphere of open-
mindedness, peace and spiritual awareness. Sandalwood incense
is used in Catholic Church and Jewish Synagogues. Indian
sandalwood was one among the most treasured item of
commerce that was exported from India to Roman Empire. The
renown of sandalwood can be realized by the quotes of Lord
Buddha and Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Lord
Buddha described Sandalwood tree as - “Sandalwood, tagara,
lotus, jasmine – the fragrance of virtue is unrivalled by such kinds
of perfume” while Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore as “The
sandalwood tree as likely to prove, sweetestthat can even
conquer hate, love and perfumes the cruel axe that lays it low”.
The value of this species is underlined with the fact that
sandalwood imparts fragrance even to the axe that cuts it. As the
sacred trees are common in India, it is said that once upon a time
sandalwood was found abundantly in Coorg (Kodagu) (Fischer,
1928). Kodagu district of Karnataka has more than 600 sacred
grooves known as ‘
Devara Kadu
’ in Kannada spanning in an area
of 10,000 acres. Since India is aspectacular country of sacred
deities many temples across India maintain trees in its
surrounding as a symbol of sacredness and secular power. Nine-
planets of Solar system in a Sanskrit hymn is rendered as
Arkasamidam Adithygya
(
Calotropis gigantea
represented as Sun),
Palashagam Somaya
(
Butea monsperma
represented as Moon),
Khadiram Angarakaya
(
Acacia catechu
represented as Mars)
Apamargam Bhudhaya
(
Achyranwhus aspera
represented as
Mercury),
Ashwatham Brihaspathaye
(
Ficus religiosa
represented
as Jupiter)
AudumbaragShukraya
(
Ficusglomerata
represented
asVenus)
ShamigamShaiaischaraya
(
Acacia ferruginea
represented
as Saturn)
Rahuve Doorvaya
(
Cynodon dactylon
represented as
Rahu) and
Kethuve Kushaya
(
Saccharum spontaneun
represented
as Kethu). More than half a tonne of Indian sandalwood is
required annually by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to
conduct ‘
Snapana Thirumanjanam
’ (celestial bath), pre-dawn
ritual ‘
Suprabatham
’ and last seva ‘
Ekantha seva
’ of
Lord
Venkateshwara
. To meet this demand TTD has started growing its
own sandalwood spanning an area of 100 hectares near
Parveta
Mandapam
, 3 km from the actual shrine of
Lord Venkateshwara
in
Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. Likewise, Art of Living Foundation also
has plantations of Indian sandalwood in its premises.
Indian sandalwood during anno domini
Kalidasa (5th century A.D.) in his poem ‘Raghuvamsa’ referred
sandalwood at various citations. Trade, economic significance and
origin of sandalwood have been cited in the Periplus of the
Erythrean Sea (written in the 2nd century), Kautilya described a
variety of sandalwood in his
Arthasastra
(200 B.C.),
Panchatantra
,
Kavya- Mimamsa
of Rajashekar (880 - 920 AD). Ilango- Adikal, the
Tamil poet quotes that Indian sandalwood originated in the
Southern Mountain (
Malaya Tenmalai Piranda Chandanam
)
(Srinivasan
et al
., 1992). Indian sandalwood is considered to be a
native of South Western Ghats, especially from the region of
Coorg (Kodagu) in Karnataka (Majumdar, 1941). Amarkosha
(Lexicon 3rd century A.D.) glorifies the usage of sandalwood in
Indian culture (Majumdar, 1941). Ramaswamy (1956) reported that
India is the native of
S. album
and his observations were based on
the recorded history of its occurrence in India which was of 2300
years old. From 13th to 18th century it remained significant
economic bioresource that led dynasties for expeditions, warfares
and invasions to India (Ganeshaiah
et al.,
2007). The TTD, in India,
daily requires large quantities of sandalwood paste.A day before
the Brahmotsavam festival of Lord Venkateshwara, interiors of the
sanctum sanctorum and the small shrines are smeared with a rich
paste of sandalwood. During the Brahmotsavam, while the deity
is around procession, the priests distribute sandalwood powder
used for the rituals to devotees
en route
. The Lord Venkateshwara
is referred as ‘Chandana Charchita Govinda’ (The English narrative
would be “The Lord of the untainted form, The Lord who is
beautiful and anointed by sandalwood paste, The Lord who has
body tint equal to that of cloud”). This ‘woody marvel’ was known
to Indians for countless centuries and south Western Ghats in
India is considered as its natural area of distribution (Majumdar,
1941; Ramaswamy, 1956; Viswanath
et al.,
2009). Though the
usage of sandalwood dates back to Vedic period, it can be said
that the real population decline of sandalwood began during the
times of Tipu Sultan due to his monopolistic policies accompanied
with the epidemic of spike disease.
Factors leading to the decline of natural populations of
S. album
in India
Tipu Sultan,
de facto
ruler of the kingdom of Mysore, hailing from
an Arab migrant tribe (Quraish) used to frequent Turkey and
Afghanistan for trade. Some researchers opined that Tipu never
hesitated to take the help of Afghans and French’s to expel the
one he hated and applied all sorts of strategies to get maximum
benefit from trades (Lafont, 2001). However, historians and
researchers admire him as a progressive king who constantly
looked out for best global technology for his kingdom. Apart from
his ground breaking changes in economy from going cashless to
modernizing warfare system with rocket technology Tipu
introduced a stock yard system for storage of sandalwood known
as ‘
Sandal Koti
’ in 1799,
Koti
meaning stock-yard of sandalwood.
At present, Sandal Koti can be located in Hunsur, Tirthahalli,
Srirangapatana, Shivamogga, Bengaluru, Sagara, Hassana,
Tarikere, Chikamagalur and Fraserpet. During the times of Tipu
Sultan, Afghans, French and Turks favored sandalwood. Thus,
sandalwood trade to Arabian countries was at its pinnacle during
the rule of Tipu Sultan. He coined names for various classes of
sandalwood using Afghan, Arabic and Turkish terms. Later in
1898, the Governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu recognized
18 grades of sandalwood for sale. Nevertheless, to establish a
monopoly over Indian sandalwood, Tipu Sultan created a dictum
in 1792. The decree created by Tipu Sultan in 1792, started
monopoly of Indian sandalwood and led to the severe
deterioration of sandalwood populations in south India. Under the
dictum, Indian sandalwood was declared as Royal tree (Fox,

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ISSN 2278-2281 (Online), 0976-3597 (Print) I www.nebio.in
2000). The states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu later ratified the
mandate to keep sandalwood under the control of their respective
governments. But this decree became a curse than a boon as it
brought more harm than good as many legal obligations were
imposed on sandalwood cultivation. The extraction and disposal
of Indian sandalwood came under Forest Department (1864) of
Mysore state (Adkoli, 1977).
Apart from this, over-exploitation acted as a major cause for
depletion of sandalwood gene pool in its natural area of
distribution (Naseer
et al.,
2012) and resulted in loss of adaptive
gene complexes (Meera
et al.,
2000; Gillieson
et al.,
2008).
Frequent forest fires, grazing, unconventional monoculture
Eucalyptus
plantations, past cyclic epidemic of spike disease
caused by phytoplasma (Mycoplasma like organism) and other
biotic interferences (
Fusarium
,
Pythium
,
Rhizoctonia
, nematodes
etc.) have further contributed to the dwindling of this species,
both in area and density. Its existence in natural stands has
declined and is difficult to tracea greater number of commercially
exploitable sandalwood trees in the forests of Karnataka
(Swaminathan, 1998). Fading populations of higher girth classes
can be traced in the protected boundaries of governmental, non-
governmental organizations, institutions, farmlands and
homesteads in its natural as well as naturalized area of
distribution. India for decades dominated the sandalwood oil
production, but in the current scenario it is importing sandalwood
oil from foreign countries (Dhanya
et al.,
2010). This alarming
condition indicates that there is a need to conserve this species
and enhance its abundance.
Retrospective and prospective methods of sandalwood cultivation
The proud symbol of Indian heritage has always been its tribal
culture. The nature of traditional knowledge has been very diverse
owing to the existence of vast number of medicinal plants in
India. Indian sandalwood has played an important role in
Ayurveda. The huge volumes of indigenous knowledge in India is
cocooned and confined in local communities due to lack of proper
publicity. The detailed usage of Indian sandalwood can be found
in the medical treatment procedures explained by Charaka and
Susruta. Nevertheless, the traditional knowledge of cultivating
plants is now playing a pivotal role to address the healthcare
industries of developing world. Earlier studies reported that
dibbling of seeds in the bushes and sowing of seeds on mounds
was the common practice of traditional cultivation (Troup, 1921;
Kadambi, 1944; Rai and Kulkarni, 1986). Furthermore, it was also
reported that in semi-arid areas of Kolar, Tumkur districts
sandalwood grew well when seedlings were planted in trenches
while its hosts were being grown on the mounds (Cameron, 1894;
Kadambi, 1944; Rai and Kulkarni, 1986). Due to this habit of
dibbling of sandalwood seeds among thorny bushes just before
the beginning of every rainy season, people of earlier generations
were able to propagate sandalwood in the semi-arid tracts of
Mysuru that later went on to become rich forests of sandalwood.
Bamboo implements or bamboo pole of 1.5 m length with an
internal diameter of 4 cm to 6 cm were used for sowing
sandalwood (4 to 6) seeds. Likewise, it was reported that the
germination of sandalwood was not affected by the thick layered
leaves of Bamboo and
Casuarina
. This may be because the
bamboo litter around bamboo clumps and
Casuarina
leaf litter on
the ground conserve moisture and helped in natural regeneration
of sandalwood. Nevertheless, the traditional and recent methods
used for the regeneration of Indian sandalwood are (a) dibbling of
sandalwood seeds in bushes (b) Sowing of seeds on pits and
mounds by Trench Mound Method and (c) Planting of nursery
grown seedlings. The method of dibbling of seeds is adopted in
scrub jungles with thick bushes and seeds are dibbled during
monsoon. Trench mound technique involves sowing of other
species along with sandalwood seeds. The seeds of other species
provided as hosts (
Albizzia
sp.,
Cassia siamea
and
Pongamia
pinnata
) generally show good compatibility with sandalwood.
Trenches of 3 m x 30 cm are aligned along contours in rows of 6 m
from each other with a distance of 3m end to end between one
trench and another along the same row. The height of mound is
anywhere around 30 cm while seeds are sown in shallow furrows
(4 cm deep) along the crest of the ridge.
In the current scenario, the most prospective and lucrative method
of sandalwood cultivation is the method of using nursery grown
seedlings. Generally, two types of seed beds are prepared for
raising seedlings (sunken or raised). Raised beds are used in the
regions with high rainfall. Healthy seedlings of about 30 cm
height with dark brown bark of 6 months are best suited for
planting. Approximately 2500 healthy seedlings can be produced
from 1 kg seeds. After relaxation in constrictive government
policies for sandalwood cultivation, there is an enormous demand
for its saplings in India.
Conclusion
Indian sandalwood has been inseparable part of Indian culture
and tradition. Its utilization has been witnessed from the Indus
valley civilization to the present modern era. Sandalwood tree is
being grown in the home gardens of many households in south
Indian states. Traditionally, it is believed that growing
S. album
in
one’s backyard would bring prosperity in life (as Goddess Lakshmi
resides in), wards off evil spirits and delete the harmful effects of
black magic. Thus, it could be said that this traditional
beliefknowingly or unknowingly has paved the way for effective
conservation of this flagship species. Furthermore, the present era
has tremendous commercial value for Indian sandalwood in
National and International markets.
S. album
has always held
important place not only in Hindu religion but in almost all the
religions. The Epics, Scriptures, Vedas, Puranas and Buddhist
literatures are contained with reference of the significance of
S.
album
. The sacredness of
S. album
in also witnessed in Indian
mythology. All these factors signify its importance to mankind and
should be considered for conservation in its natural stands.
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