
One Plant, Many Names: A Medieval Botanical Dictionary
Nighaṇṭuśeṣa, a glossary by the Jain scholar Hemacandra, lists the synonyms of medicinal plants — bael, myrobalans, sandalwood — so that no herb is lost behind an unfamiliar name.

This Sanskrit manuscript, titled *Nighaṇṭuśeṣa* by Hemacandrācārya, constitutes a specialized lexicographical treatise on materia medica, specifically focusing on botanical nomenclature and synonymy in the Ayurvedic tradition. The preserved folio presents a systematic enumeration of medicinal plants—including *puṣpa* (Butea monosperma), *pāṭalā* (Stereospermum suaveolens), *aguru* (Aquilaria agallocha), and *karavīra* (Nerium indicum)—with their multiple Sanskrit designations organized in metrical verses (*śloka*). The text exemplifies the classical Indian practice of compiling *nighaṇṭu* glossaries that served as essential reference works for physicians, distinguishing between varieties of a single species (e.g., white and red *pāṭalā*) and noting therapeutic attributes such as fragrance, habitat, and morphological characteristics. The manuscript's good calligraphy and institutional provenance at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute underscore its value for the study of medieval Indian medical lexicography and botanical knowledge systems.