The Banyan

S Balakrishnan *

We all know that our national bird is the beautiful Peacock, national animal is the majestic Tiger and that our national flower is, you guessed it right, BJP's Lotus. Well, if Congress can have in its flag the three colours of our national flag in that exact order, can't BJP have the national flower as its party symbol! Now, to be frank, until this very moment I was not aware that we do have a National Tree and it is the Banyan. The blame goes to my teachers. Now that I have found someone to blame for my failure, let me happily proceed further.

But a great religious sin is being created by mixing up banyan tree for peepal tree. It was under peepal tree (Ficus religiosa) that Gautam Buddha meditated and attained enlightenment; hence it is called the Bodhi Tree. The descendant of the original tree is still worshipped in Bodh Gaya complex. But in the internet many incorrect references wrongly attribute that it was under a Banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis) that Siddharth attained Buddhahood.

Significance: Almost all parts of the banyan tree – the leaf, latex, bud, bark, aerial root, fruits – have medicinal value in curing various health problems. A Tamil proverb says that banyan is good for the teeth and that if you lose your teeth you lose your word. Not the MS Word but the spoken word.

The Banyan is a much venerated tree by the Hindus. Lord Dakshinamoorthy sits under the cool shade of the banyan tree. An image of Lord Ganesh is installed and worshipped under banyan trees. In a few temples it is also the sacred sthala viruksha (temple tree). The tree has commercial value also in that its wood is used in house building and furniture making, besides in paper production.

Naming game: The common name, banyan, is derived from 'banias' (merchants; remember that Mahatma Gandhi is also from the Bania community) who, in the olden days, met under the shade of Banyan trees to conduct their business. It was also believed that deals struck under banyan tree would be fulfilled and amount agreed upon would be promptly settled.

Eventually 'banyan' turned out to be the name of the tree itself. The generic name Ficus is a Latin word meaning fig fruit; the specific epithet 'benghalensis is after Bengal, its place of origin.

The Tree: Banyan is a very large evergreen tree growing up to 20 m tall with spreading branches and aerial, prop roots that look like pillars. It is found throughout the Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It usually germinates from the cracks and crevices on buildings, bridges or a host tree. The aerial roots aid in its longevity and virtual immortality.

The Banyan is a refuge for many bird varieties that create a sweet cacophony of tweets and chirps throughout the daytime. Similarly, naughty kids also surround it and swing happily from its aerial roots. Called Vat Viruksha in Sanskrit, it does not permit any other plant to grow under its shade. Because of its cool shade, Kings ordered it to be planted along the highways which we have now mercilessly cut down for National Highways! Banyan tree has silently acted in many movies as the traditional venue for gram panchayts.

Seed & Story: Banyan is such a vast tree but its fruits are small and its seeds are such miniscule ones that you need a magnifying glass to view them. It has male, female and gall fruits. A fable revolves around its microscopic seed – A tired traveller was once taking rest under a shady banyan tree. He saw the fruits scattered all around and wondered aloud 'What a fool is the creator! Such a huge tree but its fruits are so tiny!', and he slept away.

Then a fruit fell on his forehead with such a force from such a height that he praised aloud 'How wise is the creator! If a pumpkin-sized fruit had grown, I would be dead by now'. From such a miniscule seed, the tree spreads so widely even to accommodate a king's army (all of its four divisions – infantry, cavalry, chariot and elephant), an old Tamil poetry sings in praise. Flowering and fruiting happen between April and July. Botanists say that its flowers are pollinated by a single species of wasp Eupristina masoni, while the seeds are dispersed by fruit-eating birds like Indian Mynas, crows, bats and squirrels.

Big Banyans: India has some really big and vast Banyan trees. It is claimed that the world's 'largest' Banyan tree is at Thimmamma Marrimanu in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. It covers an area of 2.5 ha, and is 650 years old. It has branches spread over 8 acres and has 1650 prop roots. It has entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989.

The banyan in Kolkatta's botanical garden is actually called the 'Great Banyan Tree'. Found in the AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, it is said to be the 'widest', and one of the largest trees in the world. It is only around 250 years old but has about 2900 prop roots that help cover 1.5 ha. Thus, the circumference of its canopy extends to about 450 m. This tree, too, has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Well, Chennai too has its landmark Adyar Banyan Tree within the peaceful campus of Theosophical Society HQ. Estimated to be the 'second largest' banyan tree in India, it is around 450 years old and is thought to be one of the largest banyan trees in the whole world. The total area occupied by the tree and its offshoots is estimated to be around 40,000 square feet. It has withstood the severe storm damage to its main trunk in 1989. It is a shame I had never had a darshan of it, or the one in Kolkatta during a hop-stop visit to that city.

I once saw a Banyan Tree in Bonsai version. It was a mixed feeling of awe and pain that such a mighty tree had been tortured into a miniscule version. Still, if someone gifted me a bonsai Banyan, I would really love to have it.

Why should I suddenly sing praise of the Banyan Tree? The other day, as we climbed up and down a steep hill fort in Gingee on sultry day, a grand old banyan tree kindly extended its cool shade to rest a while. I felt heady that many kings of the Gingee Fort too would have rested at the same spot in the past.

I decided then & there to pen a piece on Banyan that gave peace to me. Does the Banyan care! In a way this is also to atone for my sin of not knowing that we do have our National Tree and that it is the majestic Banyan Tree.

Let me end this with the Tamil blessing "aal pol thazhaithu, arugu pol paravi …' meaning, let your generations propagate like the ever-spreading banyan (aal / aala maram) tree and the arugu (dhub / durva) grass.

Amen!