When British anthropologist Verrier Elwin asked a Gond tribe member about his thoughts on life and death, the man described heaven as “miles and miles of forest without any forest guards” and hell as “miles and miles of forest without any mahua trees”. The tribe member held such deep affection for mahua (Madhuca longifolia) that he wished to be buried under it—not beneath the sacred saaj (Terminalia elliptica) tree in which the Gonds’ supreme deity resides— so that even in afterlife, he could drink the sap from mahua’s roots. The anecdote finds mention in Elwin 1936 book, Leaves from the Jungle: Life in a Gond Village.
Considered among the most significant trees of central India, mahua plays a pivotal role in the life of tribal communities—from birth to death. The tree is believed to be the abode of tribal deities; consequently, it is never felled or disturbed. Even its flowers are not plucked but gathered once they have fallen from the branches. For these communities, mahua serves as a provider of medicine, liquor and food. Its flowers are also used as a medium of exchange for bartering goods.
Mahua grows slowly, begins to flower after 10 to 15 years, but lasts for decades. The average flowering period of the tree is about five weeks. The flowers start falling in the third week of February and continue to drop till the first week of May. In the months of March and April, when food reserves begin to dwindle, this tree is in its peak flowering season and serves as a primary source of income for the people. Once the flower period concludes, the season for mahua fruit begins in June-July. The fruit is used for obtaining seed for oil extraction.
To grasp mahua's significance in the life of Gonds, one has to visit their villages in March-April. One such village is…
This article was originally published in the April 16-30, 2026 print edition of Down To Earth