Wandering in the Vibrant City... Kolkata... Day 2 Part 3

                                                                             Day 2  Part 3

As we moved along we came to the point where we see the River Hooghly, a the branch of River Ganga flowing in West Bengal before joining the Bay of Bengal.

                                                      ~~~ oOo ~~~

Along the path on our way back we found a deviation which pointed towards a tree… It was the Boabab tree... Adonsonia digitate, the African Boabab tree also known as Kalpavriksha, is a native of Tropical Africa and a national tree of Madagascar. It was brought to India by the Arabs via Arabia. Adonsonia has six species under it. It symbolizes fertility and is worshiped for various purposes. 

It is a source of food and medicine, hence the name meaning, ‘tree of life’… It is also called 'bottle tree', 'the tree of heaven', 'upside-down tree', and 'monkey bread tree'. The massive trunk and gigantic size of its branches make it distinctive. The girth of the trunk of a mature tree ranges from 7 to 11 metres (23 - 36 ft)  and the height reaches 5 to 30 metres (16 to 98 ft). It is the largest succulent tree that has the capacity to retain about 120,000 litres of water inside its trunk enabling it to survive long periods of draught.

For most of the year, the tree is leafless, and looks very much like it has its roots sticking up in the air. The trees lifespan is estimated between 3000 - 6000 years, which is believed to be the longest life span in the plant kingdom, Leaves contain Vitamin C of high quality and fruits (monkey bread) are edible. They are a source of Vitamins, Proteins, Antitoxidants, Minerals. It is a rarity in India. Looking at this wonderful but bare tree I thought how unassuming it is! Strange are the ways of God!

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The Botanical Garden is a delight for Nature lovers amidst the  crowded  Kolkata. A place to relax... We could hear the birds chirping, at times having their trill, see swimming, the woodland animals like the squirrels and the mongoose rushing around. It is said it has other small animals like foxes and reptiles but we couldn’t have even a glimpse of them.

                                               ~~~ oOo ~~~