The mango tree is one of the most sacred trees to the Hindus. It finds mention in the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. The mango fruit symbolises love and fertility. The leaf is employed during most religious and social ceremonies of the Hindus. A ‘Purnakumbha’ is a pot (Kalasam) filled with water and topped with fresh mango leaves and a coconut. The pot represent Mother Earth, water is the life giver, coconut represent divine consciousness and the mango leaves symbolizes life. The whole ‘Purnakumbha’ is believed to symbolise Goddess Lakshmi and good fortune. On auspicious occasions, mango leaves adorn entrances at home to signify good fortune. Mango blossoms are used in the worship of Goddess Saraswasti on Basant Panchami day.

The tree is sacred to the Buddhists because of its association with the great miracle that Lord Buddha performed during his lifetime – the instantaneous creation of a large mango tree from the seed at a place called Shravasti.