Honey - India

Honey - India


Soulful India was supposed to be not only the cradle of humanity but also the birthplace of the bee. The latter claim was, how-ever, contested by both Egypt and Greece. In ancient Indian scripts we find scanty information about apiculture. They allude to honey and bees more from mythological, poetical, philosophical, moral and religious viewpoints. The Rig-Veda, written about 3000 B.C., often mentions honey. To the population of India honey represented everything that was sweet and beneficial. The Hindu had to turn his right side toward the beehive, as though passing a deity. God Krishna was symbolized by a bee and was called mad hava, born in honey. The Hindu believed that who-ever ate honey would become strong, rich, happy and wise and that it would improve not only his own looks but would influence even his offspring.

In India, due to the fertility of the soil and the abundance of water and sunlight, the animals and plants are the largest on earth. The bees are no exception. Apis dorsata, the giant bee of India, builds enormous combs, often six feet square, suspended from the highest trees, hanging rocks and other inaccessible places to gain protection from man and beast. The combs are visible from a distance of miles. Special honey hunters approach the nests with ladders and ropes, usually at night time, to collect their plentiful harvest.

Honey had a popular use in India as a food and medicine and in the preparation of alcoholic drinks. The Hindus drank madhuparka, a mixture of honey and curds, during religious ceremonies with the toast: "I drink thee for luck, glory, power, and for the enjoyment of food."