Mahendragarh Aravalli Mahua Tree Ecology

The Aravalli scrubland of Mahendragarh district supports scattered Madhuca longifolia mahua trees whose fleshy flowers are collected in March-April by tribal and OBC communities for brewing into traditional fermented mahua liquor and for making mahua ladoo sweets. Mahua flowers and seeds are significant NTFP resources: flower fermentation creates a seasonal food-alcohol crop that tribal communities regard as a cultural birthright, and mahua seed oil pressed from the nut is used in soap-making and as a lamp fuel. Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh tribals practice mahua harvesting intensively; in Mahendragarh the tradition is smaller-scale but maintained by Bawaria and Meo communities in Aravalli forest margins.