Page 8 - Jan-Mar 2017

TREASURED TREES

cHiNaR SaNDaLWOOD
Tree: Santalum album
Tree: Platanus orientalis
(Chinar) (Sandalwood)
family: Platanaceae family: Santalaceae
Sanskrit Name: Bhavani Sanskrit Name: Anindita
The sweet-scented, fine-
Chinar is a deciduous
tree found in Jammu and grained sandalwood is an
Kashmir. The native range evergreen tree, cultivated
and traded since ancient times.
of Chinar includes at least
eurasia from the balkans The use of sandalwood in india is recorded in
literature for over 2000 years. it is used for its wood
to the himalayas in the east,
and has been mentioned in greek and oil and in the form of sandalwood paste in
many religious rituals and ceremonies.
historical and literary works.
Chinar has been an important it is also used to mark religious utensils, and to
tree in Persian style of garden landscape, a style decorate the icons of the deities. in sufi tradition,
brought to india during the Mughals. sandalwood paste is applied on the sufi’s grave by
the disciples as a mark of their devotion. according
The Chinar, known as boonyi in Kashmir, plays
an important role in Kashmir’s literature and to indian mythology, lord ganesha was created
from the sandalwood paste used by goddess
religion. it is said that the oldest Chinar tree in
Kashmir (around 700 years old), was planted by Parvati. Do you know that snakes do not climb this
tree. Can you find out the reason behind this?
the sufi saint syed Qasim shah in Chattergam. in
hinduism, it is associated with goddess bhavani.

SuNDaRi activity

Tree: Heritiera fomes (Sundari ) What's in a Name?
family: Sterculiaceae The Persian name,
Sanskrit Name: Sundari ‘Chinar’ owes its origin
sundari is found in the mangrove to Mughal emperor
forests of west bengal and Jahangir. story goes Illustration by: Mehek
bangladesh. it is found that on an autumn day, Goyal, VII-E, DAV Public
in abundance in the Jahangir set his foot in School, Sec 14, Faridabad
sundarbans. in fact the word Kashmir. From a distance,
sundarbans is a derivation he saw a grove loaded with crimson leaves. in
from ‘sundari’. its timber is used sheer ecstasy, he shouted, “Chi naar!” (what a
for building houses, boats and bridges. The international blaze!), and his pliant courtiers picked up the
union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources expression to rechristen the grove.
has declared the mangrove “endangered” because of the how did the banyan get its name? (hint: think
rapid clearing of mangroves for coastal development. of the bania community!)

Background Illustration by: Saloni Verma, VIII-B, Convent of Jesus and Mary, Ambala Cantt.

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