Question

Give examples from ancient India to show that the mango was as popular

then as it is now.​

Answer 1

• The Peshwa of the Marathas, Raghunath Peshwa, planted 10 million mango trees as a sign of Maratha supremacy. Folklore has it that it was a fruit from these trees that eventually turned into the famous Alphonso, the king of mangoes.
• Badami is the most popular mango variety of the state of Karnataka. It is mostly referred as the own Alphonso of the state. The taste and texture of this mango variety is almost similar to Alphonso.

Answer 2

In ancient India, the ruling class used names of mango varieties to bestow titles on eminent people – like the honour given to the famous courtesan of Vaishali, Amra Pali. The mango tree was also associated with the god of love, Manmatha, and its blossoms were considered to be the god’s arrows by the Hindu Nanda Kings. It was during the Nanda rule that Alexander arrived in India and fought the famous battle with King Porus. When it was time for him to return to Greece, he took with him several varieties of the delicious fruit.