Lucknow :

Wishes have no end and a mythical wish-granting tree should never die. More so if the tree is worshipped as a deity and believed to have roots in the Mahabharata.

Barabanki’s revered Parijaat will now have it clones grown in the same campus where the tree has existed for hundreds of years, attracting devotees from all over, in Kintoor village of the district. The objective is to keep the legacy of the tree alive after it’s dead and gone. NBRI would prepare clones of the tree through cuttings and tissue culture.

At least three clone-trees would be planted around the mother tree.

Besides, NBRI would also do a molecular study to find out the place of origin of the Barabanki tree. Parijaat (Adansonia digitata) is an exotic tree, an African specie with peculiar features. It’s a matter of study from where it reached Barabanki.

Though there is no written account of the tree’s history, it is believed the tree has existed from the days of Pandavas. It is said to have come out of the ‘samudra manthan’ (churning of ocean) and brought to earth by Arjun from the garden of Indra for his mother Kunti. It’s said after Kunti offered Parijaat’s flowers to Lord Shiva that Pandavas won the battle of Mahabharat.

Since it’s the age of the tree that has always intrigued scientists and forest officers efforts would be made to know how old the tree is through carbon dating. “We will ask BSIP (Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany) to study the age of the tree,” said senior principal scientist, NBRI, S K Tiwari.

Team of NBRI scientists including the director, Prof Sk Barik, visited the site of the tree on Friday. National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a CSIR laboratory, has been treating the tree since February 2016 after forest department, that takes care of the tree, sought help from the laboratory.

Parijaat, said to be a wish-granting tree (kalpvriksha), draws devotees from far-off places all the year round. Due to sugary offerings made at the place, the tree was found infected with termites when NBRI visited the site in February last year. It also had fungal and bacterial infections.

NBRI had administered chemical treatment to the tree initially and recommended a microbial biopesticide (Bacillus based inoculants) to be applied on the trunk and leaves of the tree thrice in a year to keep it clean of infections. The institute also gave Bacillus packets to forest department.

“The base of the tree still seems affected and we have suggested ways to the forest department,” said the scientist. A medicated mud, mixed with fungicide and insecticide, would be put all around the tree upto one feet.

This would control degeneration from the bottom. While the aerial spray of disinfectants would continue to keep tree free of pests and fungi.

Besides, NBRI would also try to establish a link between the other age-old Parijaat trees reported in the state with that of Barabanki’ tree. “We got to know of old Parijaat trees in Basti and Sultanpur. Then these old trees are also present in NBRI campus and zoo. We will do molecular study to find out where the other trees have come from,” said the scientist.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Neha Shukla / TNN / May 05th, 2017