Recreating the Hortus malabaricus

Sam Santosh, a US-based entrepreneur, dreamt of creating a garden of medicinal plants on the land that he had purchased. He shared his vision with Manoj P, who was a naturalist. The discussion between them gave birth to the beautiful idea of recreating Hortus Malabaricus, or Garden of Malabar. Recreating a garden of flora referring to the book of Hortus Malabaricus was not an easy journey for them, as most of the species were endangered. With patience and determination, they not only could collect plant and flower species that were given in the ancient book of Hortus Malabaricus but also collected several other interesting plant species. Now there are more than 1500 species in the garden. The collection drive is still on. It will take two more years to be completed and opened to the public.

The garden of medicinal plants; Image source: weforvisual.com

The author of the book 'Hortus Malabaricus'

The book described the medicinal properties of flora, the disease which could be treated by these plants along with the composition and dosage of the medicines.

Interestingly, during the 17th-century, printing was not yet discovered and written books were very rare, so knowledge was passed on from one generation to the other through word of mouth. The teacher and the pupils had several discussions, and they all came to one conclusion and that was meant to be the final one. Likewise, Rheede was helped by the local experts to collect all the information about these unique flora plants.

About 780 species of most important plants were described which had 794 beautiful illustrations. Of these species, 742 are unique and 3 are repetitions.

Sam and his team found out that it will be a rather tedious journey, to identify all the species of flowers and plants, collect them and then replant them. They are not to be found in Kerela. Some species are found in Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic garden and Research Institute in Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, Malabar Botanical Garden, and Institute for Plant Sciences Kozhikode.

With enthusiasm and a vision in mind, the team started its journey in 2016. They have successfully collected and planted 678 endangered species. Search for the remaining 61 species is on.

One of the team members Manoj P said that the most endangered and rare species are found in the most unexpected places, like roadsides, railway tracks, and neglected places. The common person has no idea of the importance of such plants, for them, it's the same as any other plant. The 'Nipa palm', which grows in saline water and is said to be extinct in Kerela, was found in a place called Ernakulum. A cluster of Nipa Palm trees was there growing in a paddy field. Similarly 'Striga Asiatica' is also a rare species. A root parasite that grows on a host plant, was also found in such an unexpected place in the Kollam district. Not only finding the species is inconvenient, but it is all the more difficult to plant and conserve them. There are many plants that are seasonal. So, they have set up a greenhouse and plan to set up a seasonal nursery to ensure natural regeneration.

Their main aim was to create a garden of medicinal plants, but seeing that this idea can also help in creating a balance in our ecosystem, now they are trying to conserve many other species found in the Western ghats. Since the Sahyadris(Western Ghats) play an important role in keeping balance in our ecosystem.

The garden now has more than 1500 species. They also have a collection of 29 varieties of black peppers and aquatic plants. With all such beautiful species of flowers and plants growing, it is sure to attract insects and reptiles. A terraced butterfly garden is also set up with a view to enjoy the mesmerizing beauty of those flying insects.

Ayurveda means knowledge of life. In Sanskrit, Ayur is life and Veda is science or knowledge. In olden times the people of India had great faith in Ayurveda as it was supposed to have many remedies for the common illness. Ayurveda uses plant products as medicines. Since they were natural they did not have any side effects. The trick to good ayurvedic medicine lies in identifying the correct plant and preparing the correct dosage. Ayurveda says, illness of the body, is caused by the imbalance of our mind, energy and our environment. With pollution and increased stress in our lives, the need to revive Ayurveda seems to be the call of nature.

Sam Santosh has further plans to include art in his garden. You must be thinking, art? How? He wants to encourage the classical arts of Kerela like Koodiyattom, Kathakali, etc with the help of artists from Kalamandalam.

The garden thus, not only plays an important role in eco-balance but also promotes the art and culture of India.

When we hear the word 'Hortus Malabaricus', it reminds us of Biology, the difficult terms and scientific names. Hidden behind the word Hortus Malabaricus is a beautiful meaning, the 'Garden of Malabar'.

On one hand, there are skyscrapers and uncountable buildings coming up, diminishing the balance of our ecology. On the other hand, there is this person named Sam Santosh, a US-based Maliyali entrepreneur from Thrissur, who bought 20 acres of private land(a rubber estate) in Cheruthuruthy, near Kerela's Pakkad and dreamt of turning the land into a medicinal garden. He wanted a medicinal plant garden as part of his research foundation named SciGenom Research Foundation. He had no idea how to do so. Luckily, he met a person named Manoj P, who was a naturalist. They discussed and an idea struck them. They wanted to recreate the Hortus Malabaricus in the 20acres of land. They even named it after the book.

What is this 'Hortus Malabaricus'? It is the oldest comprehensive book on natural plant wealth in India. Kerela, Karnataka and Goa seemed to be rich in medicinal flora. The book was written by a Dutch governor, Hendrik Van Rheede in the early 1670s. It was compiled over 30 years and was published in 12 volumes from Amsterdam. More than 100 people contributed to the formation of this book. Four Malabaris shared most of their knowledge about the medicinal powers of the pants. They were Itty Achuden, Ranga Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit and Appu Bhat.