 Thai lacquerwork painting of the Naripon tree at Phra Pathom Chedi | |
| Grouping | Mythical tree Legendary creatures |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Sylvan |
| Folklore | Buddhist mythology Thai folk mythology |
| Country | India, Thailand |
| Region | Southeast Asia |
The Nariphon (Thai: นารีผล, from Pali nārīphala), also known as Makkaliphon (Thai: มักกะลีผล, from Pali makkaliphala), is a tree in Buddhist mythology which bears fruit in the shape of young female creatures. The maidens grow attached by their head from the tree branches.[1] This tree grows at the Himaphan, a mythical forest where the female fruits are enjoyed by the Gandharvas who cut the fruits and take them away.[2]
The Nariphon is also mentioned in the Vessantara Jātaka in which Indra placed these trees around the grove where the Bodhisattva Vessantara meditated.[3][4]
- ^ Nariphon Tree at a temple in Thailand
- ^ Thai traditional mural painting Archived 2015-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ McDaniel, Justin (2014). The lovelorn ghost and the magical monk: practicing Buddhism in modern Thailand. New York, NY: Columbia Univ. Press. p. 173. ISBN 9780231153775.
- ^ Readings of the Vessantara Jātaka. New York: Columbia University Press. 2016. pp. 98–99. ISBN 9780231541008.