The banyan, or burr tree, the _ficus Indica_ of Linnæus, a picture of
which is given in the cut beyond, claims our particular attention. It is
considered as one of the most curious and beautiful of Nature’s
productions in the genial climate of India, where she sports with the
greatest profusion and variety. Each tree is in itself a grove, and some
of them are of an amazing size, as they are continually increasing, and,
contrary to most other animal and vegetable productions, seem to be
exempted from decay: for every branch from the main body throws out its
own roots, at first in small tender fibers, several yards from the
ground, which continually grow thicker; until by a gradual descent, they
reach its surface; where, striking in, they increase to a large trunk,
and become a parent tree, throwing out new branches from the top. These,
in time, suspend their roots, and, receiving nourishment from the earth,
swell into trunks, and shoot forth other branches; thus continuing in a
state of progression so long as the first parent of them all supplies
her sustenance.
[Illustration: THE BANYAN-TREE.]
A banyan-tree with many trunks, forms the most beautiful walks, vistas
and cool recesses, that can be imagined. The leaves are large, soft, and
of a lively green; the fruit is a small fig, of a bright scarlet when
ripe, affording sustenance to monkeys, squirrels, peacocks, and birds of
various kinds, which dwell among the branches.
The Hindoos are peculiarly fond of this tree; they consider its long
duration, its outstretching arms, and overshadowing beneficence, as
emblems of the Deity, and almost pay it divine honors. The Brahmins, who
thus “find a fane in every sacred grove,” spend much of their time in
superstitious solitude under the shade of the banyan-tree; they plant it
near the _dewals_, or Hindoo temples, improperly called pagodas; and in
those villages where there is no structure for public worship, they
place an image under one of these trees, and there perform their morning
and evening sacrifice. These are the trees under which a sect of naked
philosophers, called Gymnosophists, assembled in Arrian’s days; and this
historian of ancient Greece, says Forbes, in his “Oriental Memoirs,”
affords a true picture of the modern Hindoos. “In winter the
Gymnosophists enjoy the benefit of the sun’s rays in the open air; and
in summer, when the heat becomes excessive, they pass their time in cool
and moist places, under large trees; which, according to the accounts of
Nearchus, cover a circumference of five acres, and extend their branches
so far, that ten thousand men may easily find shelter under them.”
On the banks of the Narbudda, in the province of Guzzerat, is a
banyan-tree, supposed by some persons to be the one described by
Nearchus, and certainly not inferior to it. It is distinguished by the
name of the Cubbeer-Burr, which was given to it in honor of a famous
saint. High floods have, at various times, swept away a considerable
part of this extraordinary tree; but what still remains is nearly two
thousand feet in circumference, measured round the principal stems; the
overhanging branches, not yet struck down, cover a much larger space;
and under it grow a number of custard-apple, and other fruit trees. The
large trunks of this single tree amount to _three hundred and fifty_,
and the smaller ones _exceed three thousand_. Each of these is
constantly sending forth branches and hanging roots, to form other
trunks, and become the parents of a future progeny. The Cubbeer-Burr is
famed throughout Hindoostan, not only on account of its great extent,
but also of its surpassing beauty. The Indian armies generally encamp
around it; and, at stated seasons, solemn _jatarras_, or Hindoo
festivals, to which thousands of votaries repair from every part of the
Mogul empire, are there celebrated. It is said that seven thousand
people find ample room to repose under its shade. It has long been the
custom of the British residents in India, on their hunting and shooting
parties, to form extensive encampments, and spend weeks together, under
this magnificent pavilion, which affords a shelter to all travelers,
particularly to the religious tribes of the Hindoos. It is generally
filled with a variety of birds, snakes and monkeys, the latter of whom
both divert the spectator by their antic tricks, and interest him by the
parental affection they display to their young offspring, in teaching
them to select their food, to exert themselves in jumping from bough to
bough, and in taking, as they acquire strength, still more extensive
leaps from tree to tree. In these efforts, they encourage them by
caresses, when timorous, and menace, and even beat them, when
refractory.