THREE ICONIC TREE SPECIES OF KASHMIR

 

THREE ICONIC TREE SPECIES OF KASHMIR

BY WARVET

Kashmir has been endowed with a rich fauna that can be envy of any region in the world. In this blog I write about three of the most important trees (for different reasons) of Kashmir

I POPLAR -

Tree lined roads of Kashmir are imprinted in our memories from old movies. Roads from Anantnag and Baramulla to Srinagar were like ‘Green Tunnels’ immortalised in popular psyche. In 2004 when I used to travel from Srinagar to North Kashmir, where I was posted I used to marvel at the beautiful green walls. No longer. The 4 laning projects underway all over has destroyed the green tunnel and it’s a punishment to travel through the ‘Dust Tunnel’ now a days.

I often wondered at the mammoth quantity of wood being used for roofs of the under construction houses in valley. It’s an unending process that is consuming agricultural land like an insatiable dinosaur all over. Kashmiris build huge houses – Wife of the wizard had told us once –‘There are only two aims of a Kashmiri – To build a good house and to marry daughter in a good family’. In my Himachal, builders use Angle Iron and channels to make the mesh for CGI sheets and I wondered how Kashmiris were getting all the wood. They were surely not cutting the Deodars.

It was last month when I went to a village in North Kashmir with a local Army Jawan that the veil was lifted. Mudassir was after me since long to visit his village and Apple orchards. Whole year he supplied apples to us – from his orchard and then from the cold store in the town. Often I discussed and compared apple cultivation practices in Shimla and Kashmir with him. He belonged to an area notorious for militancy when I was here in 2004. So I kept avoiding though he tried to convince me now things had changed. There were many like him in the Army and they need not hide that fact from people he said. It was unlike South Kashmir i.e. Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian. I dithered. In the end he was exasperated and told me he thought I would not visit his village. Then suddenly I one day got him into my vehicle and drove to his home.

We left the NH and went along a village road. Suddenly we were in middle of apple orchards and rice fields interspersed with woods. The road crossed many small nalas with clear water. Small hamlets with typical signs of village life were passing past the window. Children playing, people emerging from a mosque, someone leading a cow. Typical Kashmiri rural houses and small shops. We kept moving along the narrow serpentine road when he asked me to go up a dirt track on the right. Soon we reached a decrepit saw mill in woods. There I found lots of poplar logs lying around. There were huge beams cut out from them and also smaller logs were being used to make apple boxes. In HP there is no wooden packaging for fruits. Here I came to know that all the roofs in Kashmir were made of poplar wood.

The tree lines all the apple orchards and vacant plots. It’s a commercial wood and farmers are permitted to cut it at will. Its suitable for plantation in Kashmir due to high water table. During spring it produces tremendous amount of cotton or pollen which looks dangerous as allergens. But I read that its not actually allergic. Also only female plant produces the cotton. so now emphasis is on growing only male plants. Timely cutting of branches also helps.

The tree plays a very important role in the economy of state. It also provides raw material for plywood industry.

II BHOJPATRA (Himalayan Birch) -

‘These mugs are made of the holy ‘Bhojpatra’ wood by unit carpenter specially. It’s such a holy and medicinal wood that if you keep water in this overnight and drink it in morning for few months you will never have problem of sugar, cholesterol etc’ Col Rana, commanding a battalion in high altitude LoC had told me while gifting the mug to me in his medieval castle like office on a high altitude Shamshabari peak. When I reached Srinagar, I had filled it with water at night dutifully and consumed it in  morning for 3 days when I noticed that the mug had developed a 2 inch vertical crack that had not yet traversed the full thickness. I quit drinking in it and placed it on a rack as a memento. After 3 months I was showing it to a visitor, when to my utter surprise I found that there was no sign of any crack! The mug had completely healed. It was a miracle! I tried for 3 days but could not find any slightest sign of the crack! I wonder if the mug will be really as much effective in repairing the daily wear and tear of my body if I use it as prescribed!

Bhojpatra is a tree found in high altitudes of Kashmir and has a striking white bark that peels off like paper. It has been used for manuscripts thousands of years ago. The state archives department has many such manuscripts in ancient ‘Sharada’ scipt of Kashmir. Manzoor, a clerk with the department had shown me many in the Shergarhi museum. The archaeology department has many old Persian and Arabic documents too. Manzoor had gone to Deoband to study Arabic. He was to become a maulvi after completion of his study when he saw an opening for Arabic qualified in Archeology department, applied for it and got it. He also showed me copy of Abul Fazal’s Ain – e – Akbari. Then he brought out a book written with gold ink. It was commissioned by a noble for his son and was about advice for an administrator from ‘Hakim Luqmaan’ a famous Persian thinker.

Anyway, coming back to Bhojpatra. The noble tree is found in Alpine Himachal too. Excessive felling for fuel etc is leading to its extinction in some habitats which I hope will be prevented by the Forest department sooner rather than later.

 

III CHINAR –

Although I love Deodar (Tree of the Gods) or Cedar that’s found in multitudes in my native place and that happens to be my State Tree (I was surprised to find it to be ‘National Tree of Pakistan’ the other day!), the ancient Chinars  of Kashmir too have become my favourite. The tree changes colors with the season. Its amber red in autumn and looks like its on fire when seen from a distance.

During Mughal rule, someone confused this tree from distance with a blaze and cried aloud ‘Che – naar Ast’? meaning ‘What Flame is it’? The emperor, Jahangeer who heard it named the tree – ‘Chinar’ and it stuck.

Though Chinars (Beun in Kashmiri) were there in Kashmir earlier, Mughals propagated them in a big way. They planted these trees in lakhs in gardens and along the river. There are many chinars that are more than 500 years old. One in Budgam, is estimated to be the oldest at 700 years old and was planted by Sufi saint Syed Qasim Shah. All of the Hindu as well as Muslim shrines in Kashmir exist in shade of ancient Chinar trees. Since the very start, saints, thinkers and poets and writers have been assisted by shade of Chinar in their contemplations and brain storming.

 Chinar wood is used for medicine, furniture, fuel; leaves for forage and kindling, and its shade induces peaceful sleep. Many old trees are dying but the state horticulture department tries to save them. Chinars are being planted as part of social forestry all over the valley. Of the famous 4 chinar planted on an island in Dal lake by Jehangir, 3 have died but replaced successfully by Horticulture Department with fully grown trees. They deserve all accolade for that.

Chinar leaves are beautiful and find expression in local furniture, shawls, paintings, carpets and papier mache articles.

 

 Chinar is the most beautiful tree in Kashmir! It infact looks like a sage amongst trees!! Its my favourite !!!