India: The Big Banyan tree, Bengaluru’s ageless wonder
Spread across 3 football fields and older than the Taj it draws visitors from far and wide
Bengaluru: Imagine a tree that has spread across acres, has lived for centuries and continues to grow, covering several football fields with its miraculous existence.
Yes, you have read it right, we are talking about a single tree that exists in India’s tech capital Bengaluru and is not less than a mini forest.
Bengaluru’s Dodda Alada Mara or the Big Banyan Tree is one of the largest and among the oldest in the country, drawing visitors from far and wide.
Mysterious, eerie and supernatural in its presence, the sprawling wonder draws both awe and admiration at the same time, forcing visitors to ponder over the power of nature.
Existence
Life in all its forms of existence is wondrous, yet it is so common place that we fail to acknowledge its miraculous nature.
We are surrounded by the power of nature, the miracle of life coming into existence from the smallest of creatures to giant trees that sprout from a tiny seed.
The cycle of a seed transforming into a sapling and then growing into a massive canopy, eventually producing flowers, seeds and fruits is nothing short of a miracle.
Yet, we take it for granted, passing it by as if it warrants no attention of ours. Nature works this cycle in such abundance that it has ceased to draw our awe. However, if we slow down, take a pause and ponder over such regular acts of creation such as a seed transforming into a giant canopy and producing more seeds, we might learn to appreciate more of the incessant, multifarious, magnanimous creation around us that make our existence possible!
Pause and ponder
A visit to one of India’s natural wonders, the Big Banyan Tree, gives us this moment to pause and ponder. It gives us an opportunity to reflect on the power of life and the meaning of existence.
When we first set an eye on this forest of a tree, it doesn’t come across as odd or amazing. But as we approach it and stand amidst its overpowering presence it begins to grow on us.
With overhanging prop roots that sprawl into a forest, it is an ecological linchpin supporting dozens of creatures such as primates, fruit bats, birds and insects.
Growing from seeds that land on other trees, it is one of more than 750 species of fig trees that is pollinated by wasps bred by the partner fig trees.
The long, tentacle like overhanging prop roots hold our hands and pull us in. It makes us ask the questions: how on earth this came into being and why did it choose to grow in the way it did? What power wrought these branches and what has kept it alive for so long?
Located on the outskirts of Bengaluru, this natural wonder is also known among the locals as the ghost land with rumours of it being haunted with evil spirits whirling around its branches as starkly as its overhanging roots.
We believe, they are just that, rumours and nothing more. For, we found the Big Banyan considerably good-natured, except for some pretty aggressive monkeys it hosts.
Spread across three acres and still growing, calling it big is an understatement. This expanding phenomenon is a true giant.
Older than Taj!
Located in the village of Kethohalli, off the Mysuru highway, the tree is four centuries old. Just to put it in context, it has been existing before the manmade wonder Taj Mahal was even conceptualised.
Though it is the oldest known banyan tree in Karnataka, it is only the fifth oldest in India.
Imagine sitting under the natural canopies that have witnessed all the modern history of India, from the Mughal conquest to the British colonisation to the Independence of India!
This little forest amidst the concrete jungle around it has been developed into a park by the local authorities.
It could have been an ideal picnic spot if its long-tailed inhabitants would allow it. The park is home to an army of monkeys who wouldn’t allow you to drop your guard if you are carrying food packets or bags.
So, the ideal way to enjoy this natural wonder is to quietly explore the green canopies and ponder on the miracle of creation.
Never mind the fact that we need a 400-year-old banyan tree to remind us of the power of creation and the miracle of all existence, which includes us.
In our daily race to nowhere, we have grown so aloof, so out of touch with what keeps us going that we need these reminders more often.
But, for that we have to step out of our urban jungles more often, to places that will force us to think!
If we need to re-establish the ecological and spiritual balance of our life, we do need frequent visits to places such as the Big Banyan Tree to understand our equation with the rest of the creation.
At 4.7 acres, it is almost four times the size of a football field and is more than 700 years old.
Legends have it that the tree grew out a funeral pyre of a woman known as Thimmamma.
Kabirvad: Located on a river island near Bharuch, Gujurat, Kabirvad is a 4.3 acres forest that is associated with the medieval mystic Indian poet Kabir.
Locals believe that Kabir dwelled and meditated under this tree for long, hence, a temple dedicated to the poet has been built near it.
It is also considered among the oldest trees in India, finding its mention in the records of Alexander the Great!
Great Banyan: The Great Banyan Tree in Howrah, near Kolkata is as old as the city itself.
At 250, it has witnessed all the history of Kolkata, transforming from a small riverside village to the colonial capital it became in the 19th century, enroute to becoming the mega metropolis it currently is. The sprawling tree that spans 3.5 acres is located at the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Botanical Gardens.
Adyar Banyan Tree: Located at the heart of the Theosophical Society Chennai is a giant jungle that gives 40,000 square feet of shade to its many admirers and dwellers.
The giant canopy has nurtured many prominent lives such as Annie Besant, J. Krishnamurthi and Marie Montessori among others and continues to offer that much-needed contemplative space away from the hot sun of the Coromandel Coast.
- Shafaat Shahbandari is a freelance journalist and Founder-Editor of Thousand Shades of India