The Nariphon ( th, นารีผล, from

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

''nārīphala''), also known as Makkaliphon ( th, มักกะลีผล, from

''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. This tree grows at the Himaphan, a mythical forest where the female fruits are enjoyed by the

Gandharva A gandharva () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Dharmic religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they are ...

s who cut the fruits and take them away. The Nariphon is also mentioned in the

Vessantara Jātaka The ''Vessantara Jātaka'' is one of the most popular jātakas of Theravada Buddhism. The ''Vessantara Jātaka'' tells the story of one of Gautama Buddha's past lives, about a very compassionate and generous prince, Vessantara, who gives away ev ...

in which Indra placed these trees around the grove where the

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

Vessantara meditated.

Myths and folklore

According to Buddhist mythology, the god Indra created a

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

(''Sala)'' as an abode for Vessantara, his wife, and two children to live. His wife went into the forest to collect fruits: she was, however, in danger of being attacked by hermits or yogis who lived in the forest. Although they had acquired special powers from their meditation, they had not conquered lust. Therefore, Indra created twelve of these special Nariphon trees. The trees would bear fruit whenever she went out to collect food and distract the men. The fruits were all in the image of Indra's beautiful wife. The men took the fruits to their place of abode and, after making love to them, would sleep for four months and lose their powers. According to

Thai folklore Thai folklore is a diverse set of mythology and traditional beliefs held by the Thai people. Most Thai folklore has a regional background for it originated in rural Thailand. With the passing of time, and through the influence of the media, large ...

, since Vessantara and his family have died, the trees bear fruit daily, but the forest will disappear when the Buddha's teachings have become lost (predicted to be five thousand years after his death). When the fruits appear on the trees, they last for seven days, after which they will wither and die if they are not picked. They have same internal organs as humans, but no bones. These maidens also have magical powers and possess spirits which can sing and dance. There are supposedly two Makaliporn pods in a Buddhist temple near

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

. It is said that they came from Himaphan, the mythical forest. At Wat Pheut Udom temple near

Pathum Thani Pathum Thani ( th, ปทุมธานี, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand, directly north of Bangkok. It is the capital of the Pathum Thani province, Thailand as well as the Mueang Pathum Thani district. As of 2005, it ha ...

there is a representation of the tree together with ghosts and hell-scenes. Representations of the Nariphon tree are very common in Thai comic

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...

s, both fresh and dry, often in manga style.

Amulets An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

and charms in the form of Nariphon girls are sold throughout Thailand. Folk stories claim that the tree grows somewhere in the

Phetchabun Mountains The Phetchabun mountains ( th, ทิวเขาเพชรบูรณ์, , ) are a mountain massif in Phetchabun, Phitsanulok, Loei and Chaiyaphum Provinces, Thailand. It consists of two parallel mountain chains, with the valley of the Pa Sa ...

and hoaxes are common; these include pictures of Nariphon girls growing from trees as well as dry Nariphon maidens. The Nariphon myth inspired the 2006

Thai film The cinema of Thailand dates back to the History of film, early days of filmmaking, when Chulalongkorn, King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by François-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, wher ...

Nariphon The Nariphon ( th, นารีผล, from Pali ''nārīphala''), also known as Makkaliphon ( th, มักกะลีผล, from Pali ''makkaliphala''), is a tree in Buddhist mythology which bears fruit in the shape of young female creatures. T ...

'' (นารีผล, "Devil Ivy"), with Chayanan Arjpru, Tassachol Pongpakawat and Paymanee Sangkakorn, and 2010 movie ''Nariphon Khon Phrueksa'' (นารีผล คนพฤกษา, "Nariphon, People from the Tree"), with Phasakon Phomrabut and Thanmon Theklamlong.นารีผล คนพฤกษา "Nariphon, People from the Tree"
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References

External links

{{commons category
หน้าที่ 1 - สัตว์ในตำนาน จินตนาการ หรือ มีอยู่จริง ?? (On the existence of legendary creatures)ห้องภาพ : จิตรกรรมบัวหลวงครั้งที่ ๓๐ (Thai Art)Nariphon PictureThe Legend of Makaliporn
Trees in mythology Thai legendary creatures Buddhist legendary creatures Southeast Asian culture Thai folklore Female legendary creatures

Myths and folklore

See also

References

External links