Long description:

Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos Correa) is a tropical fruit native to south-east Asia and belongs to family Rutaceae . It is an important indigenous fruit of India. It is also known as 'Bengal Quince'. Aegle, the genous of bael is monotypic.The trifoliate leaves symbolize the trident the Shiva holds in his right hand. The fruit were used in place of Coconuts before large-scale rail transportation become available. The fruit is said to resemble a skull with a white, bone-like outer shell and a soft inner part.The importance of bael lies in its curative properties, which make one of the important medicinal plants of India. All the parts of the tree (stem, bark, leaves, roots, and fruits) at some stages of maturity and ripening, has some important use in many Ayurveda and Unani patented drugs in India for treatment of a variety of diseases.For medicinal use, the young fruits, while still tender, are commonly sliced horizontally and sun-dried and sold in local markets.