Catechu

[N. Ganesan]

Thanks a lot for the useful answers. It looks catechu is produced from
some type of "vEl" tree. Catechu is used by pAnwallahs even now.

Heartwood (Acacia catechu) - what is the corresponding "vEl"-tree?
Before the industrial glue bottles came to  be used in schools,
resin-gum from "karu-vEl" (acacia arabica) was used in India. But the
resin in the tAmbUlam mix is from a different acacia, which one?

Hopefully a Sanskritist will explain Sankara's quote of this
lokaayatavaada metaphor. There what is catechu called? Is it khadira?

Regards,
N. Ganesan

Cologne Tamil Online Lexicon (OTL)
1) kuTTivEl - a kind of acacia (TLS)
2) uTaivEl - peapodded black babul, acacia eburnea
3) karuvEl - black babul, s. tr., acacia arabica
4) kUntalvEl - elephant thorn, s. tr., acacia tomentosa
5) koviL - white cutch, a tree, acacia suma
6) pEykkarugkAli - tamarind-like cutch, m. tr., acacia ferruginea
7) cImaivElampaTTai - 1. black wattle, 1. tr., acacia melanoxylon ;
2. common wattle, - s. tr., acacia decurrens ; 3. mimosa wattle,
s. sh., acacia dealbata
8) cikaikkAy - soap pod wattle, l. cl., acacia concinna
9) pIvEl - pulpy-podded black babul, l. sh., acacia farnesiana
10) veLvEl - 1. tamarind-like cutch; 2. panicled babool,
m. tr., acacia leucophloea
11) veLLiNTu - shining-leaved soap pod, l. cl., acacia intsia
12) vEl - 1. babul, gens acacia ; 2. panicled babul; 3. spiny bamboo
13) uTai  - 1. umbrella-thorn babul, s. tr., acacia planifrons ;
2. buffalo-thorn cutch, s. tr., acacia latronum ; 3. pea-podded
black babul, s. tr., acacia eburnca
14) kAcukkaTTi - 02 downy foliaged cauch, m. tr., acacia  catechu
typica
15) kATTiNTu - copious narrow-leaved soap pod, l. cl., acacia pennata
16) pEyccIyakkAy - copious narrow-leaved soap-pod, 1. cl.,
acacia peunata
17) kuTaivEl - 1. umbrella thorn babul; 2. buffalo thorn cutch,
s. tr. acacia latrounm
18) pIkkaruvEl - 1. pea-podded black babul; 2. pulpy-podded black
babul, l. sh., acacia farnesiana
19) kaNTAjnci - 1. entire-leaved staff-tree gymnosporia emarginata;
2. buffalo thorn cutch, s. tr., acacia latronum ;
20) iNTu 1. eightpinnate soap-pod, l. cl., acacia intsiacaesia ;
2. sensitive plant, mimosa ; 3. species of sensitive-tree,
l. sh., mimosa rubicaulis ; 4. tigerstopper
21) cElai 01 1. cloth; 2. saree; 3. half a piece of cloth, measuring
36 to 40 cubits; 4. parchment bark cutch, m. cl., acacia suma
22) kAyattiri - 1. ga1yatri, the sacred mantra of 24 syllables,
in the gayatri metre, recited by brahamnas in their daily worship;
2. the goddess gayatri1 one of the wives of brahma1; 3. sarasvati1;
4. metre of 24 syllabless in 4 lines; 5. glabrous foliaged cutch,
m. tr., acacia sundra
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com