Durga Mata: What Makes a Classic Indica strain?

Long time followers of the Paradise Seeds story, may be familiar with a classic Indica strain in the collection which is known for its resinous content and a unique taste that may compare to the exotic Middle Eastern candy, Turkish Delight. The strain is Durga Mata, a plant which carries all the essential ingredients of a classic Indica strain.

Indeed, when Paradise Seeds set out to breed a plant like Durga Mata it focused its search on cannabis landraces in the region of the world where the term ‘Cannabis Indica’ was first brought to the world by an American biologist, Richard Evans Schultes. Building on the observations of the 18th century French biologist (Lamarck) he identified a different morphology (appearance) of ‘Cannabis Indica’ cannabis plants in Afghanistan – with shorter growth and wider leaves – from Cannabis Sativa.

His research established a new school of thought in cannabis, which made a differentiation between Sativas and Indicas. Avoiding the debate about whether Indica and Sativa are in fact two different types of cannabis, we will instead focus on the qualities that Paradise founder Luc Krol was looking for in the plants that grow indigenously on the hillsides of northern India, Nepal, Afghanistan and the north of Pakistan for thousands of years with (no label!).

What Are Durga Mata’s Classic Indica Strain Characteristics?

Durga Mata is the combination of two Indica landraces - Afghani and Himalyan – from the same Hindu Kush region. Luc was looking to breed feminized cannabis seeds to grow a no fuss plant that was robust and resilient – a strain that could survive in challenging environments, such as a Northern European outdoor grow environment, and didn’t mind if it didn’t get the gold star treatment from its cultivator!

Says Luc: “The plants which grow on the exposed hillsides in the Hindu Kush region are tough by natural design. They face extremes in temperature and weather so they were a great place to start in this quest for a new strain. I wanted to produce a strain which came equipped with the armour to survive a growing season in the north of Europe – cannabis seeds which you could literally throw into the garden and leave them! I was looking for a plant which could cope with bad light, which had good resistance qualities against pests and mold too.”

The stout nature of the plant, bushy growth and resinous nature are classic indica strain characteristics. Aside from its outdoor qualities in more inhospitable grow environments, these traits are also extremely welcome in indoor grow rooms (where Durga Mata is also a good Sea of Green option) and Mediterranean regions where this plant will thrive.

How did the Durga Mata Indica Strain get its name?

Luc wanted a strong female name for these new feminized cannabis seeds that reflected the origins of the parentage and the intention of this new but at the same time classic strain. He decided on Durga - the warrior form of the Hindu Goddess Parvati – sometimes known as Maa Durga. So the end result was a little bit of a play with words, but the sentiment was clear – this plant was a Mother Goddess amongst indica plants!

Paradise legend goes that Durga Mata was a strain that literally picked itself out of the breeding process, the original mother standing tall from thousands of plants around her. As well as the ‘essential’ armoury which came with this new plant, there were also many desirable qualities too. Those who have grown Durga Mata feminized cannabis seeds will be familiar with the oily resin production, that distinctive taste and, of course, the potency of the effect.

Is Durga Mata a Good Medical Cannabis Indica strain?

While Durga Mata is strong, its fans refer to a relaxation that is soothing and load lifting as opposed to throwing the user into a couchlock and throwing away the key! It was this effect, particularly the intense relaxation (in the words of one of the Paradise Seeds grow team, she will calm an elephant!”), which saw Durga Mata become the go to choice for a new type of cannabis user, the medical patient, in the early 2000s.

“You have to remember,” says Luc, “that in the early days of Paradise Seeds there was no such thing as ‘medical cannabis’, nor much knowledge about the cannabinoid CBD. There certainly wasn’t much scientific research taking place into the therapeutic or medicinal benefits of cannabis – but we heard so many stories about how people’s lives were transformed thanks to this amazing plant.”

Through word of mouth, Durga Mata became a strain requested by medical users who appreciated the intense relaxation, pain relief and stress reduction qualities it produced. These qualities made Durga Mata a natural choice when Paradise Seeds decided to release specific CBD rich strains, and worked with the CBD Crew to produce Durga Mata ll CBD (a 1:1 CBD/THC strain).

Time to Revisit a Classic Indica Strain!

So while Durga Mata may not be one of those new and trendy strains you hear about non-stop.... before the next big thing comes along, she is a classic indica, a matriarch in the Paradise library which deserves the upmost respect. For this, and many other practical reasons, this is one classic Paradise seeds cannabis strain that cannabis growers will be happy to rediscover!