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Just as the animal kingdom has been integral to the mythic and artistic imagination in India, so has the world of vegetation - of plants, flowers, fruits, trees. The tree as a symbol of cosmic life is as ancient a motif in Indian art and sculpture as in many other cultures of the world. In India, 'The Tree of Life and Wisdom' is to be found in Hindu, Muslim, Jain and Buddhist temples engraved in stone and wood, or cast in bronze, over a period of several centuries. Kalpavrkşa, 'the tree that fulfils all wishes', along with its leaf and creeper, kalpavalli and kalpalată,
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Tree of Life, sandstone window, Sidi Sapjid's Mosque, Ahmedabad, 15th century.
Buddha with Wheel of Law' as a halo, Mathura, 15th century.
are carved in exquisite detail on the ceilings of Jain temples at Dilwara and Ranakpur.
Kalpavrksa has been a major motif in the art and literature of India. It was believed that pots of gold and bags of precious gems lay at its roots, and it was surrounded by Seven Treasures, the conch and the lotus among them. Thus it was believed that
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