History of banana in India

Plantains or banana plants were cultivated in India from very early times. Religious rituals in Sastric tradition describe it as highly auspicious plant, particularly, for marriage ceremonies.

The discovery of banana phytoliths at Kot Diji, south Pakistan, a site from the Indus Valley civilizations which was inhabited around 2000 BC, indicates that this fruit already reached the northwest part of the South Asian continent.

Bananas are put into a variety of uses in India, especially in South India. Almost every part of the plant is used is in some way or another; hence it is popularly known as ‘Kalpatharu’.

The fruit is easily digestible, a good food for people suffering from gastritis and other stomach ailments. In Southern India, banana leaves were and still used as plates for serving and eating food.

In traditional medicine in India the golden banana is regarded as nature’s secret of perpetual youth, promoting healthy digestion and creating a feeling of youthfulness.

At an Indian wedding, the groom gives the bride a banana as a symbol of fertility. The banana is also the subject of Hindu art. In the Vedic tradition a banana grove is home to the monkey god Hanuman.

Descriptions of bananas are given in Greek writings on 327 BC in Indus Valley, during the expedition of Alexander the Great in India.

Most botanists believe that bananas were introduced from India to the Middle East and across North America by Arabs.
History of banana in India