Bael

Bael (Aegle marmelos) বাংলাঃ বেল (Hindi:बेल) is a middle sized slender aromatic armed tree. It is a fruit-bearing tree.
== Habitat ==
Bael is indigenous to dry forests on hills and plains of central and southern India, southern Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. It is cultivated throughout India, as well as in Sri Lanka, northern Malay Peninsula, Java in the Philippines and Fiji Islands
== Alternative names ==
It is also popularly known as Vilam Palam (Tamil விளாம் பழம்),Bilva, Bilwa, Bel, Kuvalam, Koovalam, Madtoum, or Beli fruit, Bengal quince, stone apple,Maredu (in Telugu), and wood apple. The tree, which is the only species in the genus.
Sanskrit names:Bilva,Śalātu, Hṛdyagandha, Karkaṭa, Samirasāraka,Śivadruma,Triśikha, Śiveṣhṭa, Dūrāruha, Lakṣmī phala, Śalya, Mahākapithya etc.S G Joshi, Medicinal Plants, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi, 2004, ISBN 81-204-1414-4, p.341
== Habit ==
Aegle, grows up to 18 meters tall and bears thorns and fragrant flowers. It has a woody-skinned, smooth fruit 5–15 cm in diameter. The skin of some forms of the fruit is so hard it must be cracked open with a hammer. It has numerous seeds, which are densely covered with fibrous hairs and are embedded in a thick, gluey, aromatic pulp. 
== Uses ==
The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. If fresh, the juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade, and is also used in making sharbat, a refreshing drink where the pulp is mixed with lime juice. If the fruit is to be dried, it is usually sliced first and left to dry by the heat of the sun. The hard leathery slices are then placed in a pan with several litres of water which is then boiled and simmered. As for other parts of the plant, the leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. 
The Tamil Siddhars used koovilam (Tamil:கூவிளம், as Aegle Marmelos is called for many purposes. The leaves are used to cure sinusitis, dyspepsia and anorexia. A confection ("iLakam" in Tamil)(Tamil:இளகம் made of this fruit is used to cure tuberculosis, loss of appetite, emaciation etc. There are several such pharmacopoeia in Siddha medicine.Dr.J.Raamachandran, HERBS OF SIDDHA MEDICINES, The First 3D Book on Herbs, pp.16
This tree is a larval foodplant for the following two Indian Swallowtail butterflies:
* The Lime Butterfly: Papilio demoleus
* The Common Mormon: Papilio polytes
== Use in religious rituals ==
The fruit is also used in religious rituals and as a ayurvedic remedy for such ailments as diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal parasites, dryness of the eyes, and the common cold. It is a very powerful antidote for chronic constipation.
In Hinduism, Bel(Bilwa) tree is very sacred. It is used in worshipping of God Shiva. Hindus believe that God Shiva will be pleased with Bilwa Pattra Puja. The importance of this tree in worshipping of Shiva is mentioned in several sacred books.
In the traditional culture of Nepal, the Bael tree is part of an important fertility ritual for girls known as the Bel baha.
==Gallery==
Image:Bael (Aegle marmelos) trunk at Narendrapur W IMG 4113.jpg|trunk at Narendrapur near Kolkata, West Bengal, India. 
Image:Bael (Aegle marmelos) tree at Narendrapur W IMG 4115.jpg|tree at Narendrapur near Kolkata, West Bengal, India. 
Image:Bael (Aegle marmelos) leaves at Narendrapur W IMG 4101.jpg|leaves at Narendrapur near Kolkata, West Bengal, India. 
==References==
== Further reading ==
==External links==
*Bael Fruit entry in Fruits of Warm Climates by J. F. Morton
*
Category:Rutaceae
Category:Fruits originating in Asia
Category:Native crops of India
Category:Flora of Burma
Category:Flora of Nepal
Category:Medicinal plants
Category:Hindu plant worship
Category:Trees
bn:বেল (ফল)
fr:Aegle marmelos
hi:बिल्व
id:Maja
jv:Maja
kn:ಬಿಲ್ವಪತ್ರೆ ಮರ
pam:Bael
ml:കൂവളം
nl:Slijmappel
pl:Kleiszcze smakowite
ru:Баиль
tl:Bael
ta:விளா மரம்
te:మారేడు
th:มะตูม