A tree that was…And still is!!!!

The big banyan tree

Nature always fascinates me and giant trees that have lived for hundreds of years are real wonders. They have seen the history in the making and must have witnessed so many wonderful things. There is such a tree, popularly known as the Great Banyan Tree, near the city of Bangalore in Southern India. Spread across an area of around 4 acres, the tree is more than 400 years old and its crown circumference is more than 250 meters wide.

The maze of aerial roots.

Called the Dodda Alada Mara in the local language, it is hard to imagine that this is just one single tree. The main trunk of the tree is long dead but it is still lush and green, thanks to its thousands of aerial roots, which in themselves appear like huge trunks. The botanical name of the tree is Ficus Benghalensis and the whole tree actually appears like a small forest.

The tree that looks like a forest

This is the fourth largest tree in India after the world’s biggest banyan tree at Thimmamma Marimanu in the state of Andhra Pradesh, the Banyan Tree at Botanical Gardens of Kolkata and Adyar tree at Chennai. The horticulture department who maintains the tree reports that it is still spreading in every direction and crown circumference gets increased by at least two to three feet every year.

Just one aerial root..There are thousand more..

Getting lost under the tree

As I walked in, I instantly found myself in a maze of aerial roots and it was hard to ignore its grandeur and magnificence. The local community believes that the tree has divine powers and that it can carry out photosynthesis even at night. Well I don’t know anything about that but I am fully contended, simply to be amidst it and enjoy the tranquility…