India’s highest altitude Herbal garden opened in Mana

There is nothing better than sitting in the lap of nature and enjoying nature. If you also want to experience this closely, then you should visit Mana village of Uttarakhand. Where a magnificent herbal garden situated at the highest altitude in the country has been prepared. It took three years to build the garden spread over four acres. There are 40 rarest species of flowers, which can only be seen here. Forest Research Center Uttarakhand has prepared a herbal garden at an altitude of 11 thousand feet after many years of hard work in Mana, a marginal village of Chamoli district. It was inaugurated by Pitamber Molpa, head of Mana village bordering Tibet. The garden has been built in four acres of land of Mana Van Panchayat. It houses all the rarest species of flowers and medicinal plants found in the high Himalayan regions. The flora found in the garden is divided into four groups.

The first group is associated with Lord Badrinath. In this, Badri Tulsi, Badri Ber, Badri tree and Bhoj Patra have been included. All these are used in the worship of Lord Badri. Badri Ber is also known by the local name ‘Amesh’, which is a fruit rich in nutrition. Badri Tulsi and Badri Ber are used as medicine in various diseases. The second group consists of the octahedral species. These include Riddhi, Vriddhi, Jivaka, Rishabk, Kakoli, Kshir Kokoli, Menda and Mahamenda. Mahamenda is used to make Chyawanprash. The third group includes the lotus flower species. People coming here can see Brahma Kamal and Neel Kamal from close quarters. In botany it is called the Seraria family. In the fourth group, very rare tree and herb species found in the Himalayan region have been included. Due to their medicinal properties, they are in high demand. According to Sanjeev Chaturvedi, Chief Conservator of Forests, Forest Research Centre, Haldwani, all 40 species in the herbal garden are of rare category. Efforts are being made to include more local species in this garden.