I find Banyan trees fascinating - apart from the fact that they look majestic and live long, there are lots of other interesting things about them. A Banyan is a variety of fig- the seed grows on another tree or a bridge or a crack in a wall & then heads down towards the earth and up towards the sky! It is known as a strangler, because it will encircle it’s host plant. It is a ecological hub- it covers vast areas, the figs feed many birds and animals in turn spread seeds of many other plants. The wood is valuable and many other parts have medicinal value. Did you know that it is also our national tree? There is a Banyan in my field at Humgaon in Karjat that started on a Mahua tree and has now encircled it. Mahua is an ingredient to make the local liquor so originally I wanted to call it The Drunken Banyan, but then settled for The Happy Banyan - the Banyan that is the backdrop for this picture taken last week, is the majestic one on next to the road to the beach at Cavelossim in Goa. The largest that I have seen are some of the Banyan trees that are at Angkorvat in Cambodia #banyantree #fascinating #treesofindia

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