Thursday, November 26, 2009

The Buddha Belly

This laughing Buddha was a wedding gift by a dear friend, and since then it has occupied the pride of place in my drawing room. It is always a warm and happy feeling to look at someone with such a merry expression on the face. Moreover, it is quite heartening to see a well fed rotund belly, resting comfortably on a relaxed and happy body in the era crazy for size zero; I am always on the lookout for such realistic inspirations:-) Like this laughing Buddha, which has made the indoors a gay and happy place, its namesake – Buddha belly plant – has added vivacity to the outdoors.Jatropha podagarica or the Buddha belly plant, as it is known because of its wonderful belly, is an eternal favorite of mine. Whenever it found a place in the posts, it has always received an inquisitive comment from the fellow bloggers. I procured the plant from a local nursery for its merrily swollen belly. It flowers all the year round. During winters, though it loses its large lobed leaves but the coral red flowers hold.As the climate gets colder the leaves have started falling off giving the plant a denuded look but the beauty of the belly will remain unaffected. The plant does have great vibes as is evident from the butterflies flocking to it. My daughter loves it for the seedpods that explode launching the seeds several feet away. Ultimately, this is one happy plant which helps brighten up the mood, and for a good luck charm – I occasionally rub its belly too!

14 comments:

Nicole said...

I just love the Buddha belly plant. My mother had one when I was a child and if I ever see one I will certainly get it. Lovely lighting shot with the butterfly.

Julie said...

There is one of these stunning succulent plants over at the local college...it is so fun and I love the color of the blooms, the leaves and, as you do...the swollen belly!! I didn't know the seed pods burst open and shoot! How interesting!!!

lotusleaf said...

Hi Doc!An organic, ecological estate near Bangalore uses the seeds of this plant to prepare bio- deisel, with which they run their flour mill.

lotusleaf said...

Here I am again. I have passed through Saharanpur many times on the way to the Himalayas, and have been struck by the beauty of the river Ganga. It would make a great post.

Carol said...

What a wonderful post for its education, humor and beauty. Your first photo of the belly is an amazing lesson in painting... when clicking on it you see all the texture and colors ... beautiful! The belly seems to change in time. What a lovely shot of the flowers and butterfly too! I love your indoor buddha... such a content soul! Carol

Green thumb said...

Nicole - Thanks for the compliment. I wish you come across one soon.

Julie - Even my daughter finds the bursting seed pods quite amusing.

Lotus leaf - next time when you pass through saharanpur, please let me know - I would love to meet you. And yes, as for the idea...will post something soon (though ganga passes through hardwar, which is 100 kms from saharanpur).

Carol - Oh dear! that is all so flattering, even I didn't know of the potential of my post till I read your comment:-)

Anonymous said...

Lovely post!
Every time you post pics of Bhudha belly plant I wish i could have it, loved the butterfly pic,I haven't seen budha belly plant around! So its a treat for me to visit your blog!

Thanks for sharing

Claude said...

I've never gotten to see a buddha belly plant in person... I don't think they're terribly common even as an exotic houseplant over here... Love the Buddha in your drawing room... I still have my Baby Buddha in my truck, and he still reminds me to be happy...

Chandramouli S said...

Love this plant but somehow I've always walked away everytime I see it in nursery. Strange why I do that... Now that I see this post, I should keep in mind to welcome it into my Plantville... Great post, GT!

islandgal246 said...

I love the laughing Buddha and am dying to get one for my garden. This jatropha podagarica is my only favorite in the jatrophas. I have quite a few growing in the garden. They are great for drought prone areas.

A wildlife gardener said...

I have a laughing Buddha in my house too, placed in the vestibule as people come into the house :)

I always think that cooking for anyone is an expression of love and I like to think of my family and friends as always having enough to eat, and not, as you say, thinking of size 6 or whatever, but of the sacredness of the body's sustenance...for, so many others in the world are starving.

The Buddha definitely reminds us to be thankful for our food and not to shun it in order to be thin :)

I've always liked 'fatter' people anyway, as they seem so much happier than those who are too concerned with their weight :)

Anonymous said...

I have an award for you to collect!

workhard said...

Laughing Buddha.. ITs supposed to bring a lot of good luck and wealth...Lovely pictures...


Work from home India

jkmpic said...

Medicinal Plants of Kashmir Himalaya.

The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC, is a pioneer institution to start cultivation of important indigenous medicinal plants and introduce many from other parts of the world. A preliminary study on cultivation of medicinal plants in Jammu and Kashmir was from this institution. Subsequently lot of work on cultivation and improvement was done on selected plants by different scientists and a consolidated account on cultivation and utilization of these plants was published (Sheikh GULZAAR, 2002 & 2007).
More details: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin