Wandering in the Vibrant City... Kolkata... Day 2 Part 2

                                                                            Day 2  Part 2 







Then came a grove ...A Banyan grove... that stands there in all its pride and glory for visitors to admire. 

What is astonishing is, it is a 250 years old grove and is just a single tree spread across.... occupying about 18,918 square metres (about 1.89 hectares or 4.67 acres).

The original trunk had decayed and had to be removed in 1925 and now it's surviving on the aerial roots that run vertically to the ground from the branches... 

These prop roots make it look as though it has so many trunks. The Great Banyan looks more like a forest than an individual tree.  Botanists have tried in vain to identify the main prop root that is sustaining it...As a part of conservation, visitors  now have access only  to the perimeter of the tree. It houses a lot of birds and insects.... Is it surprising that it has entered the Guinness book?

While we were circum-ambulating the grove, came to a lake known by the name King’s Lake.

It renders a pleasant sight, blending the greens and its hues with the shimmering waters… It houses clumps of trees and tufts of grasses in its middle like pockets of islands and has a boating facility.

Between the lake and the Banyan grove along the walkway was a piece of garbage bin blending with    its surroundings...

The entire Garden is split into sections where trees from various regions within India and also from the other countries had been planted. 

It was from these gardens that the tea now grown in Assam and Darjeeling was first developed. Trees of the rarest kinds, from Nepal, Brazil, Penang, Java and Sumatra can be found here. 

There are towering Mahogany trees, an avenue of Cuban Palms and an Orchid House. Mango and Tamarind trees shade the grassy lawns.

As we walked along we came across a tree and realized this is the pattern of the growth of Banyan trees... The Banyan sprouts on a host plant. It grows on it and covers the entire host plant and squeezes the life out of it as it grows. Then it starts to spread itself... Usually the center of the Banyan Tree trunk is quite hollow making it a natural nest for numerous animals and birds.... 

  
                                                 ~~ oOo ~~~