Use the QR code to find the tallest Chinar tree in Kashmir right now.
All one needs to do is use Google to find chinar trees in Kashmir. An ancient chinar tree that has stood strong for the past 380 years was tracked by NDTV to Nishat Bagh.
Delhi, New: For many years, Chinar has served as a testament to the dynamic history of Jammu and Kashmir. However, they have become much fewer in number over time. In an effort to prevent the numbers from falling any lower, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has begun geotagging them.
All one needs to do is use Google to find chinar trees in Kashmir. An ancient chinar tree that has stood strong for the past 380 years was tracked by NDTV to Nishat Bagh.
One of the gardeners told NDTV, “It’s the oldest chinar here, but now its trunk is shrinking due to soil not being put around its roots methodically.”
He claims that Nishat Bagh alone is home to up to 145 chinars. According to him, there are about 185 trees in the nearby Mughal garden, and the situation there is also similar. “Some of them are dying, and it’s sad that the government is planting other trees around here,” he said.
The oldest Chinar is found in Chadoora in the Budgam district, according to a recent census of Chinars in Kashmir carried out by the forest research department.
There were roughly 42,000 Chinese in the valley fifty years ago, according to census data, but today there are less than 20,000. One-third of them are either damaged or ill.
Subsequently, the government implemented a conservation program for Chinars. A senior officer adds, “Three of the four Chinars were damaged in the 2014 flood. As part of this program, we transplanted three trees.”
He claims that although though chinar is Greek, it was historically brought to the valley from Persia. He added that up to 1,100 of the trees were planted by the Mughals in Naseem Bagh, the location of Kashmir University. “Later Mughal rulers treated it as a royal tree and planted them everywhere in the valley,” he said.
In addition, the Dogra emperors protected the customs and designated Chinar as state property. Cutting a chinar was actually made illegal. But the villagers claim that many had been cut in the previous few years under the pretext of construction and road widening.