Save Chinar Campaign

Monday, January 25, 2010

Chinar

Called "Booune" in the Kashmiri language, the Chinar tree is an integral part of Kashmiri culture. Almost every village in the valley has a Chinar tree. You can experience a cool breeze under the shadow of this majestic tree which is very conducive to health.

It is unfortunate that in recent years the number of Chinar trees is decreasing. It is no wonder that if the present trend continues, the day is not far-off when the tree will see its extinction from the land of Kashmir. However, it is heartening to note the government is making its honest best to stop the illegal felling of this great tree of Kashmir.

Chinar is a gigantic sized tree, found growing throughout valley. Its scientific name is platanus orientalis. Its family is plataneae. A deciduous tree, Chinar traces its origin to Greece. Its incredible beauty has to be seen to be believed. The tree is at its most elegance and exuberance during autumn. Though its majesty can be seen all through the year. Iqbal, the poet of the East, traces the warmth of the Kashmir soil to the "blaze of Chinars it nurses in its bosom".

Chinar grows up to a height of 25 meters and a girth exceeding 50 feet in certain cases. This tree with the largest circumference of 60 feet is located at a village named Chattergam in central Kashmir.

For Further Information Please Contact:

Head Office:

Save Chinar Campaign Team,
The Youth Parliament of J&K
Behind Lake City Plaza,
Karan Nagar, 190010,
Srinagar, Kashmir, J&K
M.: +91-88-030-70-356
E.: savechinar@gmail.com

CHINAR: A declining symbol of Kashmiri culture

Written by O P Sharma Vidyarthi (IFS)

Friday, 29 October 2010 22:18

SRINAGAR: Chinar, a majestic tree of Kashmir is known for its antiquity, magnificence, cool shade and royal patronage. The tree grows upto a height of 30 metres and girth of 10 to 15 metres at ground level. It bears dense crown of interlaced branches and palmately lobed leaves held horizontally to make shade extra cool during summer months. The flowers are borne on pendulous stalks in paired globular heads.

The word Chinar has its origin from Persian language, it is native to Persia, Greece and Italy. Pliny mentions its introduction into Itlay around 390 B.C. Old Romans and Greeks had cultural links with this tree since long and was a favorite shade tree. In English, it is known as Oriental Plane and its botanical name is Platanus orientalis. It belongs to family Platanaceae having half a dozen species namely Platanus orientalis, P.occidentalis, P.hispanica, P.acerifolia etc.

In Kashmiri language, it is known as Boiun or Booni and it is believed that word has originated from the term Bhawani which means goddess. In olden days, it was tradition to plant it near temples of goddess Bhawani and got its name Boiun as it is protective like mother Bhawani. Old Chinar groves are seen at various places like Tulamula (Kheer Bhawani), Zeethiyar (Zestha Mata), Vichar Nag, (Soura), Shardaji (Keran), Nagbal (Anantnag), Martand Temple (Mattan). At the confluence of Sindh and Jhelum at Shadipur, also known as Prayag, and old Bouin tree is growing since ancient times.

Large scale plantation of oriental plane was patronized by benevolent king namely Zain-ul-ab-din who was unlike his father and built large number of temples earlier destroyed by Sultan Sikander (1393-1416 A.D). After the arrival of Mughals, Akbar and Shahjahan also showed keen interest in using Chinars as attractive shade bearing landscape tree. Mughals got these trees planted in famous Mughal Gardens of Kashmir like Naseem bagh, Nishat bagh, Shalimar garden, Harwan and at places like Bijbehara, Budgam, Kokernag and Anantnag. Largest tree seen in Darashikoh bagh at Bijbehara has been measured 19 mts at ground level.

The largest Chinar has also been reported from Chittergam, Chadoora which measures 31.85 mts at ground level and 14.78 m at breast height. All this reflects the deep aesthetic sense of Mughal Emperors. Foreign travelers who visited Kashmir before Mughal empire also mention presence of Chinar Trees in the valley. Kalhana, the great historian of Kashmir however does not mention Bouin but mentions a large tree called Vata as a sacred tree resembling Chinar. Sir Walter Lawrence in his book “Valley of Kashmir” published in 1895 mentions this as royal tree of Kashmir.

He has put on record a boled Chinar in Lolab valley having a circumference of 63 feet 5 inches at about 5 ft from ground level. Attracted by the beauty of Chinars, Late Dr. M. S. Randhawa (ICS) Chief Administrator Chandigarh/Vice Chancellor Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana took saplings of Chinar from Kashmir and got them planted at Chandigarh and Ludhiana. At present state of Jammu and Kashmir has declared Chinar as state tree and provided full legal protection under law but chinar trees are dwindling fast due to drying because of ongoing developmental activities and increasing vehicular pollution e.g. drying of Chinars is visible in the newly created park on the left bank of River Jehlum between Zero Bridge and Abdullah Bridge. Chinars are also drying on either-side of Tourist Reception Centre lane and giving an ugly look to the visitors.

Department of Floriculture has taken initiative of its large scale multiplication in the nurseries and raising awareness among masses by celebrating chinar day in the month of March. Accordingly to a census carried out by Chinar Development Authority, 19897 Chinars were present in 2005 from the earlier number of 42,000 in 1970. Chinar tree has special cultural & religious significance among kashmiris both Hindus and Muslims. It is a popular symbol of Kashmir heritage seen in various designs of arts & crafts, articles of house and shikara decoration, embroidery of shawls, papermachhe, wood carving and namda gabba making. Several articles of handicrafts decorated with motifs of chinar leaves are source of curiosity for the tourists and pilgrims who visit Jammu and Kashmir.

Autumn season presents enchanting orange red glow to the falling foliage and great splendour of matchless beauty for the attraction of visitors. Our late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi had special love for autumn Chinars and used to adore flaming beauty of Chinars. Late Chief Minister Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah named his book after colour of autumn chinars as “Aatish-e-Chinar”. Several Kashmiri proverbs also have their origin in the elegance of these majestic trees of unique cultural and religious significance. Leaves of Chinars when fall dry find their way to heating pots called “kangris” for keeping the chill away. Its bark is medicinal and is used as tea substitute by the locals.

The Chinar wood is heavy, hard, tough and is used in wood carving and furniture marking. Kashmir is beauty has been nurtured by mighty Chinars planted by Kashmiri Pandits, Priests, Kings and others over the centuries, beauty praised and sung by way of poems and lyrics, decorated in handicrafts and shawls by the nature loving weavers and made more colourful by each passing autumn .Save Chinars, save beauty for the posterity and ecological security. The existence of Kashmiri culture without Chinars is unthinkable.

University destroys Kashmir’s Chinar heritage

‘We have got permission’: PRO; ‘Who has permitted’: VCC

Zeenat Zeeshan Fazil

Srinagar: January 14: Vice Chancellor, Kashmir University occupied multiple columns on the front pages of most of the Valley based daily newspapers claiming to develop Naseem Bagh as ‘Chinar Heritage Park’, to protect ‘endangered Chinar trees’ within the campus.

January 21 - Chinar trees in Naseem Bagh were resembling Draupadi whose Wastharran (striping) was done shamelessly by the Karaus of Kashmir University.

Scores of Chinar trees within Naseem Bagh Campus have been pruned within past few days and the process goes on, sources said.
The processes of making the trees more ugly by chopping the branches, insiders say, is aimed at erecting a canteen building in the vicinity.

“Making claims is one thing and standing by these is different,” said a former president of university students union.

“The University authorities are intending to construct a canteen and the branches of the Chinar trees are being pruned to make space for the same,” he said.

However, University PRO, Showkat Shafi says the authorities have sought permission from the Divisional Commissioner to prune the trees for ‘their health.’

“We are cutting dead branches of the tress in order to give them better look and for that we have taken the permission from Divisional Commissioner’s office,” Shafi told Kashmir Images.

But the Valley Citizens Council (VCC) that spearheads the ‘Save Chinar’ campaign is not going to buy Shafi’s statement.

“Who has given the permission for pruning,” questioned renowned scholar, satirist and environmental activist, Zareef Ahmad Zareef.
Zareef said that a circular was issued by the Divisional administration, sometime back, ordering formation of a committee comprising of members from department of floriculture, revenue, civil society and other concerned departments and only after a clarification from this committee, Chinar trees could be pruned or cut.

“Despite the circular, the committee has not been established,” Zareef said, adding, “When the Committee is not there, wherefrom the University authorities have sought the permission to prune the Chinar trees?”

Lamenting administration’s attitude towards Kashmir’s heritage (Chinar), Zareef told Kashmir Images that the man appointed as Chinar Development Officer, Meraj-ud-Din has all along been ruthless to the species.

“We have been protesting against him, there are Vigilance cases against him but still he continues to be there destroying the heritage,” Zareef said.

Zareef said that the said officer was even punished for ordering pruning and cutting of Chinar trees at Bijbehara sometime back.

“He (Kala) was in lock-up for three days,” Zareef said, wondering, why he continues to be holding the post.

[Kashmir Images]

Save Chinar Campaign

About YPJK

Monday, January 25, 2010

Chinar

CHINAR: A declining symbol of Kashmiri culture

University destroys Kashmir’s Chinar heritage