Lotus and Water Lily in Indian Culture and Beauty Rituals

In my quest for authentic Ayurvedic skincare formulations, I spent the past few days poring over multiple volumes of  Ayurvedic materia medica and formulation books. The work was tedious as it involved cross referencing several Sanskrit words for the ingredients in the formulas to the correct volume of the materia medica book to determine the botanical identity. I learned a few very interesting things in this process, one of which is the use of lotus and water lilies in skincare formulation, and the fact that they are two distinct botanical species. One way to distinguish the two is the central part of the flowers, which becomes the seed pod in the lotus, but is absent in the water lily.  

The lotus is the national flower of India and is considered one of the most sacred of flowers. The goddess Lakshmi is depicted sitting on a pink lotus, and the flower is a symbol of beauty, purity, and prosperity. Below is an example of goddess Lakshmi from my alter. 

---

Lotus and water lily in Ayurveda
Called Kamala or Padma in Sanskrit, lotus belongs to the botanical species called Nelumbo Nucifera in the Nelumbonacae family. It is ironic that from an ecological perspective, the lotus plant may be considered an invasive species. Every part of the plant was used in Ayurveda, from the slush in which the plant grows, to its seeds. Nilikadya Tailam, a hair oil formulation, uses lotus rhizomes, while Triphaladi Tailam, also a formulation for hair disorders, calls for white and pink flowers (Sveta and Rakta Kamala).  
Triphaladi Tailam references an ingredient called Kumuda flower. Kumuda is water lily, botanically known as Nymphaea Nouchali. Another formulation called Kanaka Tailam, indicated for skin issues, calls for Utpala flower. Utpala, also called Nilotpala, is the blue water lily,  Nymphaea Nouchali variety Caerulea. The blue water lily is very often called blue lotus, and is the national flower of the country Sri Lanka. 

It appears that both Nelumbo Nucifera and Nymphaea Nouchali have similar properties. They have sweet, astringent, and bitter pharmacology and cold energetics, and thus highly valued for Pitta disorders, and also Kapha. Lotus is regarded as a Varnya, or complexion enhancing herb, while the blue water lily is referenced as having beneficial action on hair (Keshya), cognition (Medhya), and vitality (Rasayana). 

Lotus (Kamala) and Blue Water Lily (Nilotpala) in Indian Culture
Carnatic music is one of the two ancient forms of classical Indian music that is associated with southern India. One of the renowned composers of Carnatic compositions is Muthuswami Dikshithar, who lived in the late 18th - early 19th century CE. Dikshithar was born in Thiruvarur, which is part of the current Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Of his nearly 500 compositions (or Krithis), there are two sets of compositions, comprising 11 and 9 krithis respectively, dedicated to Kamalamba and Nilotpalamba, both incarnations of goddess Parvati, wife of the god Shiva. There is an ancient temple in Thiruvarur dedicated to lord Shiva (called Thyagaraja) and his consorts, Kamalamba and Nilotpalamba. There is a theory that Kamalamba is associated with the "Yoga" or spiritual aspect of Shiva, while Nilotpalamba is associated with the "Bhoga" or sensual aspect of Shiva. 

I have photographed the blue water lily in various places and had no idea of its history or use in Ayurveda until recently! Nor did I connect the symbolism of these gorgeous flowers to Indian culture and mythology. Hope you enjoyed this read.