Near many religious places of Kathmandu and even in souvenir shops for tourists you can see quite uncomely necklaces made of dark-brown grooved beads. These are rudraksha necklaces and in spite of their unattractiveness they are very popular among Hindus. The Rudraksha tree, botanical name Elaeocarpus Ganitrus, is one of the sacred trees in Hinduism. It is a large evergreen blue-berry tree that grows in South and Southeast Asia, the Asia Pacific region and China at an attitude of 2000 m. It is the seed of its fruit that is used as Rudraksha bead. Rudra is the fiercest form of Lord Shiva and Aksha means eyes in Sanskrit. So rudraksha literally means what is born out of Lord Shiva's eyes, his tears. After meditating for many years for the welfare of all creatures, when Shiva finally opened his eyes tears rolled down his face to the ground, thus creating the rudraksha trees. The rudraksha is the only ornament that Shiva wears, besides a coiled snake. The Shaivite (followers of Shiva) sadhus too wear rudraksha beads as a part of adornment.
