: कल्पवृक्ष), also known as kalpataru, kalpadruma and kalpapādapa, is a mythological, wish-fulfilling divine tree

Wish Tree

A wish tree is an individual tree, usually distinguished by species, position or appearance, which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual value...

 said to fulfill all desires. It was mentioned in Sanskrit literature from the earliest sources onwards. Sage Durvasa

Durvasa

In Hindu mythology, Durvasa , or Durvasas, was an ancient sage, the son of Atri and Anasuya. He is supposed to be an incarnation of Shiva. He is known for his short temper. Maledictions or curses he gave in his rage ruined many lives. Hence, wherever he went, he was received with great reverence ...

 meditated under the Kalpavriksha.

The kalpavriksha originated during the Samudra manthan

Samudra manthan

In Hinduism, Samudra manthan or Ksheera Sagara Mathanam, Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas...

or "churning of the ocean of milk

Ocean of milk

In Hindu cosmology, the Ocean of Milk is the fifth from the center of the seven oceans that surround loka or directional space and separate it from aloka or non-directional space. It surrounds the continent known as Krauncha. The gods and demons worked together for a millennium to churn the sea...

" along with the kamadhenu, the divine cow providing for all needs. The King of the gods, Indra

Indra

' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

 returned with this tree to his paradise.

A kalpavriksha is mentioned in the Sanskrit work Mānāsara

Shilpa Shastras

Shilpa Shastras is an umbrella term for numerous Hindu texts that describe manual arts, the standards for religious Hindu iconography, prescribing among other things, the proportions of a sculptured figure, as well as rules of Hindu architecture.Sixty-four such arts or crafts, sometimes called ...

 as a royal emblem. In Hemādri's work Caturvargacīntama, the kalpavriksha is said to be a tree of gold and precious stones.

Identification with other trees

Since the kalpavriksha is not a tree of this world, there is no attested Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 source conclusively identifying this mythological tree with any real, known tree. However, Kalpavriksha as a tree of plenty can figuratively refer to a source of bounty.


Different trees are referred to as the Kalpa Vriksha.

• At Mangaliyawas near Ajmer, Rajasthan, there two-revered trees (Male and Female) that are more than 800 years old. Known as Kalpavrikshas, these trees are worshipped on an amavasya day in the Hindu month of Shravan.
  
• According to the Padma Purana
  Padma Purana
  Padma Purana , one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text, is divided into five parts.In the first part of the text, sage Pulastya explains to Bhishma about religion and the essence of the religion. The second part describes in detail Prithvi...
  
  , this tree is the Parijat, another symbolic tree, often identified with the Night-flowering Jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis).
  
• At Joshimath in Uttaranchal, renowned as the residence of Adiguru Shankaracharya
  Shankaracharya
  Shankaracharya, is a commonly used title of heads of mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, a 9th century CE reformer of Hinduism. He is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Lord Krishna...
  
  , there is a large, ancient mulberry tree known locally as the kalpavriksha. This tree is a Morus
  Morus
  Morus may refer to:* Morus , a genus of trees* Morus , a genus of seabird in the family Sulidae* Thomas Morus, alias Thomas More, a philosopher...
  
   tree, or mulberry.
  
• Some persons refer to the Banyan
  Banyan
  A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
  
   tree as the Kalpavriksha.
  
• In certain parts of India, especially coastal areas, the Coconut tree is referred to as Kalpavriksha or kalpataru because of its ability to amply provide for human needs.