BY AUTAR MOTA
CHINAR TREE
Chinar tree is known as Booen in Kashmiri. The chinar is a majestic tree that grows to a height of 100 feet from the ground and its girth could go up to 40 feet. The Chinar is a cool, shady and friendly tree that is seen everywhere in the Kashmir valley up to an altitude of 8000 feet from the sea level. Its botanical name is Platanus orientalis. It is found everywhere in Kashmir and even inside lakes ( Char Chinar near and Sona Lenk near Hazrat Bal in Dal lake, in river Jhelum ( near Shadipora Sangam ), outside shrines and inside all Mughal gardens of Kashmir.
A deciduous tree, Chinar traces its origin to Greece. The tree is at its most elegance and exuberance during autumn. In Autumn season, Chinars spread a golden hue all ver in the Kashmir valley. The Autumn Chinar remains a great attraction for lovers natural beauty of the Kashmir valley. During the summer season, this majestic tree wears green elegance and is home to many birds. The Kashmiris love to sleep under its cool shade during the hot summer days.
So close is this tree to the life and culture of Kashmir, that it finds symbolic mention in the Kashmiri poetry as well. Even the 14th-century saint poetess Lal Ded has used it. I quote Lal Ded:-
“Kentchun roenni tchheyi shihij booen
Neruv neibur ta shuhul karuv”
“For some people, the wives prove like the grand Chinar tree ,
Be near them and you feel the comfort of their cool shade ”
The Sikh scriptures mention that Guru Nanak Dev Ji addressed Brahmins of Mattan under a tall and shady Chinar tree at Martand Teertha in Kashmir. Many references convey that Chinar, known as Booen in Kashmiri has been an ancient tree in the Kashmir valley that was widely revered as Goddess Bhawani. It was also called Bhawani. Some Sanskrit scholars are of the view that the ancient name this tree has been Bhuvan Vahini. The Kashmiri Pandits planted this tree with reverence in many temples and Shakti-Peeths including Kheer Bhawani in Tulamula. Many elders have confirmed the presence of this majestic tree in Sharda Temple ( now in POK ) before 1947. The Chinar trees have also been planted in Devi Angan just below the Sharika Temple in Hari Parbat area of the Srinagar city. A Chinar tree has also been planted outside the Sharika Temple gate on the hillock. Devi shrines of Tekar (Kupwara ), Kulwagishori (Kulgam), Akingaam ( Anantnag ) , Zeashta Devi ( Zeethyaar in Srinagar ) , Devibal-Nagbal (Anantnag) and many more have Chinar trees.
In his book Rajtaringani, Kalhana makes mentin of the Vata tree. The description of the Vata tree mentioned by Kalhana matches a Booen. He again mentions some ancient trees on the edges of rivers and canals to which Nishadas ( boatmen ) were fastening their boats.The name Chinar is a late adaptation, maybe around late fourteenth century when the Muslim started coming to Kashmir from Central Asia or Iran where it was already known by this name. Some historians believe that when Mughals saw this tree in Kashmir, they named it Chinar as they had already seen this tree in Central Asia. Mughals made good efforts for the propagation of this tree planting saplings in gardens and parks of Kashmir.
The Muslim Sufi saints also planted saplings of this tree near Ziyarats and shrines. The Kashmiris credit Sultan zain ul Abdin for extending and encouraging plantation of Chinar trees in all the areas of the Kashmir valley during his rule. Researchers have found a Chinar tree, which could be the oldest in Asia, in Chittergam Chadura village in Budgam district of Central Kashmir. The tree is believed to have been planted by Hazrat Syed Qasim Sahib in 1374 A.D.
In Kashmir, many saints, Sufis, Sadhus people have used the large hollow trunk ( Booeni Goff ) of the Chinar tree to perform meditation. This has added to the sacredness of the tree. At the confluence of rivers Sindh and Vitasta) near Shadipur in Kashmir known as `Prayag’, a Chinar tree is growing for many centuries. It is surrounded by water on all sides. The Kashmiri Pandits call it ‘Prayaagitch Booen ’. Before 1990, they would come to this place for immersion of the ashes (remains) of the dead.
The Chinar tree can also grow in plains but does not acquire the height and girth that it has in Kashmir. Long back, Dr L S Negi, the then, Director of Agriculture cum Horticulture ( H. P. ), planted two Chinar trees on the Ridge in Shimla. Both the trees have grown and look majestic now. I saw them on my visit to Shimla. These Chinars are five in number. The large one is inside the ridge park while the other is just outside it. Two more medium-sized are also inside the park while another small sapling is growing fast near the statue of Dr Y. S. Parmar . Dr M. S. Randhawa also planted some Chinar trees in Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana and Chandigarh. The Chinar trees are also found in Bhaderwah , Doda , Kishtawar , Banihal , Poonch and Rajouri areas of Jammu Province
In Kashmir, this tree is home to many birds. Its grand leaves are dried and used as Kangri fuel. The tree gives a tough, hard, high quality and expensive wood for the furniture industry. Though Chinar is a protected tree in the J&K state,yet it is being continuously felled by greedy timber traders and other persons in an unauthorized manner. Many Chinar trees were felled during the road widening drive in the Kashmir valley.
Autar Mota is a blogger, columnist and writes for local and national papers and journals
