Introduction to Pandava Batti Plant
New Delhi: If you have run out of ghee or oil in your house and electricity has also gone out, then there is no need to worry. There is a plant whose leaves burn like the wick of a lamp and illuminate the entire house. It is called Pandava Batti plant. This plant is considered to be associated with the Mahabharata period. It is said that when the Pandavas were in exile for 12 years, they used the leaves of this plant for lighting the forest. They used to apply oil on these leaves, tie them in wood and burn them like torches. For this reason it was named Pandav Batti or Pandav Patti.
Plant Characteristics
The scientific name of this plant is Callicarpa tomentosa. It is a rare plant which is found in the Western and Eastern Ghats and moist forests of India. At various places it is also known as Patta Batti, Kapoor Batti and in Telugu as Bodiga Chettu.
There are fine, velvety and white hairs on the lower surface of its leaves, which easily absorb oil or ghee. This is why its leaves can be used as wick in lamps. The special thing is that these leaves do not turn into ash immediately after burning, but keep burning slowly for a long time. Apart from this, this plant is also considered very beneficial for health. Many of its benefits have been described in Ayurveda, such as its leaves are used to cure headache, strengthen gums, bring glow to the face and improve digestion.
How to grow Pandava Batti plant at home
You can easily grow it in your balcony. For this, use an earthen pot 14 to 16 inches deep, which has holes for drainage. Fill the pot by mixing 40% normal soil, 30% vermicompost and 30% sand or coco peat. Keep the plant in a place where it gets 3 to 4 hours of light sunlight in the morning. Protect it from strong sunlight and water it only when the top soil becomes dry. For use in puja, roll its lightly dried leaves, dip them in oil and burn them like a wick in a lamp.