VIJAY's MUSINGS

HERITAGE TREES

The oldest living objects on our planet are trees. Many of these trees, including those in our sacred groves have significance for us in the 21st Century including connecting us with our own past. In Bangalore we are seeing a rapid depletion of our green cover. In such a situation it becomes incumbent upon us to identify and preserve for posterity Heritage Trees in and around Bangalore which are irreplaceable.

Heritage Trees can be classified as detailed below:

1. Tree or cluster of trees of botanical significance.
Age, size or species significance contributes to its heritage status. Illustrative of this are the Tamarind trees in the Devarakadu at Nallur in Devanahalli Taluk. These Tamarind Trees exhibit a characteristic usually exhibited by certain Ficus trees (such as the Banyan) of prop roots developing in their hollow trunks thus continuously extending the life of the plant. These Tamarind trees would be hundreds of years old. Further examples are the few remaining magnificent 300 yr old Banyan trees on Hosur and Sarjapur Road leading out of the city.

2. Tree or group of trees which commemorate an event in the broad pattern of our history. Such a tree is The Liberty tree sent by the Jacobins from France to Tipu Sultan and planted in Srirangapatna leading to a bonding between Mysore and France challenging the British – Tipu Sultan was a member of the Jacobin Club and used to sign off his letters as “Citizen Tipu”.

3. Trees which might have been planted or associated with the life of a person or trees which have cultural and religious significance: examples are the Baobab tree under which Sant Gorakhnath did penance, the famous centuries old Ber tree at the Golden Temple, Amritsar and the Tamarind Tree on the tomb of Tansen in Gwalior (the leaves of this tree are eaten by singers to render their voices as melodious as Tansen's).

4. Trees brought in from diverse locations worldwide which have thrived in Bangalore and whose loss will be keenly felt by the community. There are many such exotic trees in Lalbagh which would have been prominent trees even in their country of origin. These trees have been brought in from the time of Tipu Sultan into Bangalore. For example the 150 foot Araucaria Tree at Lalbagh which stands out sentinel like in the gardens.

5. Trees teening with other forms of life and providing bird roosts and
homes for Bats. Also prominent are trees laden with beehives.

Above all the definition of Heritage would include trees that have thrived and
survived from previous generations and are of such significance to us today
that the tree must not be lost to future generations as they are irreplaceable.

Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) call upon all citizens who have knowledge of
individual Heritage Trees and trees which qualify as Heritage Trees in Devarakadus
(sacred groves) and Gundutopus to contact BET who are compiling a Heritage Tree
Register as a first step towards protecting these trees.

Contact: V.R. Thiruvady - Email: vrt@bgl.vsnl.net.in Mobile: 9845068416