Village's Wish-Fulfilling Banyan Tree

krsna · May 30, 2005

ETAUNJA, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, May 28, 2005: In today's jet age when

one hears of things like people praying to a banyan tree, it is

believed as superstition. But to the villagers of Etaunja, some 40

kilometres from Lucknow, things certainly are different. The residents

of this village have been praying to a 250-year-old banyan tree for

generations. They believe that whosoever comes and prays here, gets his

or her wish fulfilled. People suffering from all kinds of trouble or

problem, even childless couples come and pray here, say the villagers.

The tree is spread over an area of 72,000 square feet -- 1.6 acres! --

between mango trees. "Whoever comes here Harbans baba blesses them and

fulfils all their wish. Everybody believes in this. People come and

pray here", said Raghuram, a local.

"Nobody says that it is superstitious. When people who are highly

educated come here they say that praying to a banyan tree is mere

superstition. But if people sit here and observe they will come to know

that there is nothing superstitious about this tree. Banyan tree has

its own place in the Hindu mythology," said Sumitra Devi, another

local. The Indian fig tree or Ficus bengalensis, is a tree whose

branches root themselves like new trees over a large area. The roots

then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this

characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and

is an integral part of the stories of India. Even today, the banyan

tree is the focal point of village life and the village council or the

panchayat, meets under the shade of this tree.

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