Description: The leafy Basil or the Tulasi (G.) is an aromatic, edible plant of the family of Basil and originating in India. It is used in food, for medicinal and religious purposes. The Tulasi is used in the ornamentation of temples. Once a year the Hindus celebrate the Tulsi Vivah, which encompasses the Hindu religious wedding celebration between the god Vishnu and his wife Tulasi, who is represented by this plant. This ceremony marks the beginning of the period of Hindu marriages. (*)
Five Tulasi Trees were found in the neighborhood of Quinta da Vitória and later identified by Jentilal Chagan. For him, those plants were usually present in the houses of the Hindu community residing in the neighborhood of Quinta da Vitória as objects of prayer and were also associated with the protection of the houses. (*)
Provided by: Unknown residents.
Present Location: It did not survive the transplanting. This type of plant of tropical climate hardly survives in Portugal during the winter months.
Last revision date: March 2016
(I) Numbering in accordance with the archive of trees and plants identified in the Quinta da Vitoria 2012 and 2013.
(II) Mabberley, David J. Mabberley´s Plant-Book: A Portable Dictionary of Plants, their Classifications and Uses. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
(*)Testimonies of residents gathered in a set of recorded conversations in the neighborhood of Quinta da Vitória and after its demolition, recorded in Lisbon, Loures and London between July 2012 and October 2014.
(G.) Word in Gujarat language.
