It´s become something of a tradition on this here blog that we post cutsie pics of Ganesha every Wednesday, so here we go again. This is apparently Bhakti Ganapati, one of the 32 classical forms of Ganesha. Note the banana!
I actually assumed bananas were originally from South and Central America, but naaah, they are from the Indomalayan region. Fun fact: pineapples (which *are* from South America) have been introduced to India and are sometimes offered to Hindu idols...
A somewhat strange discussion I had with the AI (Gemini this time).
Are pineapples grown in India or just imported?
Pineapples are definitely grown in India and are not just imported.
Major Producer: India is a major global producer of pineapple, with a significant annual output.
Cultivation Areas: They are grown in various tropical and sub-tropical regions across the country, with key producing states including:
Assam and other Northeastern states (like Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur).
West Bengal
Kerala
Karnataka
Varieties: India cultivates several popular varieties, with the two most common being:
Kew (or Giant Kew): A late-maturing, large fruit suitable for canning.
Queen (or Common Queen): A smaller, sweeter fruit primarily used as a table fruit (eaten fresh).
While India exports some of its pineapples, the large domestic production ensures that the fruit consumed within the country is predominantly locally grown.
I'm asking since I've seen pineapples offered to Hindu idols in temples.
That's a great question that connects the history of a fruit to a deeply rooted cultural and religious practice!
The use of pineapples in Hindu temples for offerings is common, and it is not dependent on the fruit being native to India.
Here's why pineapples are a popular offering, despite their "New World" origin:
In Hinduism, what makes an offering (or prasad) appropriate is often its symbolic meaning, purity, taste, and quality, rather than its geographical origin.
Auspiciousness: Fruits in general, being a natural, sweet, and complete product of the earth, are considered a pure and auspicious offering.
The "King" of Fruits: The pineapple, with its crown-like top and complex, fragrant flavor, is highly prized and considered a luxury or "kingly" fruit. Offering the best and most prized items to the deity is a sign of devotion and respect.
While the pineapple originated in South America, it was introduced to India by the Portuguese in the 16th century (around 1548 AD).
Rapid Integration: Over the centuries, it was successfully cultivated on a massive scale across India's tropical regions. As a result, it has been a well-known, abundant, and economically important crop for hundreds of years.
A "Naturalized" Fruit: The pineapple is now so completely integrated into the local diet, agriculture, and culture that it is no longer considered a "foreign" novelty. It is a staple Indian fruit, like the tomato or chili pepper, which also have New World origins but are fundamental to Indian cuisine and culture.
In short, the pineapple is offered because it is a highly valued, pure, and readily available fruit that has been a part of the Indian landscape for nearly five centuries
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| Credit: LancerEvolution |
Evidence for Roman exploration and conquest in the New World? Probably not, but the topic is fascinating.
The first link goes to a short piece by Richard Carrier, discussing whether art from Pompeii shows pineapples, an American fruit which (probably) shouldn´t have been known to the Romans. He reaches the conclusion that it´s another delicacy altogether.
I already blogged about the content in the second link (see third link!), but here we go again. The "Roman mosaic" with the South American parrot is with outmost probability a forgery. So nah, the first Italian to reach the Americas probably was a certain Columbus, after all...
