Education

History, Myths & Legends

Banyan Tree

Thomas Daniell- Pall Mall, London. 1796. Drawing made in Bihar.

Trees are things of great beauty and many religions see them as divine symbols due to their size and the fact that they live for so long. They have also played a large part in ancient myths, folklore and rituals, from Scandinavia to the banyan groves of India. Many Asian cultures see the Banyan or Indian Fig Tree as a symbol of life. Villages throughout India have sacred trees with Shrines, which honour the presiding deity. Thomas Daniell shows a scene typical of such a tree in the village, with the shrine and people worshiping there. The name Banyan which is English, comes from the Hindu merchants who had their markets under the trees, ‘Banians’.

Banyan Tree ( Ficus benghalensis ).

Like other trees the Banyan puts down roots, sends a trunk up and grows branches, but from its branches it grows taps that go into the ground and become roots. They take up nutrients but also act as supports for the branches, so rather than growing up, they spread out. The Botanical Gardens in Calcutta are said to have had one of the largest Banyan Trees on record that had 1,000 prop roots and covered 4 acres in area. Some Banyan canopies can provide shelter for complete villages. Alexander the Great was said to have camped under a banyan with an army of some 7,000 soldiers, and Buddha sat under one for six years while he thought up his philosophy of the meaning of existence.