Date palm trees Mount Abu [ 14/06/2020 ]

The Abode of the Gods is where the wild date palm trees grow.

Langoor eating dates 

Langoor eating dates 

Langoor descending the trunk of Date Palm

According to legend, the tree of knowledge was the date palm tree. Was this the fruit offered to Adam and not the Apple? The Jews and the Islamic religion have stressed the holiness of the date and date palm. It remains uncertain when the date palm was brought to Mount Abu. The Abu date palm is wild. It grows throughout our little hill station here in Rajasthan.

We do not harvest wild dates here as the fruit bears no pulp. The date comprises a large seed with a fine mess of coating. Wild bears (sloth bears) feast on the fallen fruit. Our local tribal uses the leaves of the date palm to feed their cattle in periods of drought. Some use the leaves to make brooms. Previously, our locals tapped the trees for their sweet neera. 

Seeing a langoor scale up a tree to feast on these wild dates surprised me. The monkey ate a few of the dates and shortly afterwards descended. The fruit did not hold a fascination for his hungry stomach. 

Troupes of Monkeys have invaded the fruit gardens here in Mount Abu. Scores of monkeys, who depend on handouts from the thousands of tourists visiting Abu, have come to a standstill after the COVID-19 lockdown.