When Kashmir was created it was given the power to make the spectator forget his own self by just looking at it. It was given the gift of being the most beautiful place on earth with the best landscapes, best mountains, freshest waters, most lush trees and magical skies.
Now after so many years of its creation it has gone through many drastic changes, some bad, some good, its whole face has changed to a very great extent but still there are some parts of Kashmir that have been with it ever since and have seen Kashmir go through every change but have remained the same themselves and one of those parts is The Chinar.
HISTORY OF THE CHINAR
“Jis Khaak Ke Zameer Main Ho Aatish-E-Chinar, Mumkin Nahin Ke Sard Ho Wo Khaak-E-Arjumand”
(The dust that carries in its conscience the fire of the Chinar, It is impossible for that celestial dust to cool down)
Chinar has existed in Kashmir even before “Kashmir” itself existed, but its beauty was noticed after the Mughals arrived here. It is said that during one of his visits to the valley, during autumn, Emperor Jahangir saw the Chinar in its utmost beautiful form, standing tall with blazing red and yellow leaves, and immediately shouted “Chi-Nar” meaning “what a fire”. Hence since then the tree came to be known as Chinar and has been the most popular tree of the valley.
The Mughals immediately fell in love with this tree and used to rest inside its hollow trunk along with their soldiers, they loved the tree so much that they declared it as the Royal Tree of the Mughal Dynasty and ordered for it to be irrigated with milk instead of water. The tree has been mentioned in many instances in the Akbar Nama and the Tuzk-i-Jehangiri.
In the Hindu culture it is believed that the word Buen (Kashmiri for Chinar) has been derived from Sanskrit word Bhawani meaning Goddess and because of its colossal form which gives shelter and shade, it is regarded as a maternal figure and compared to their divine mother.
In ancient times, the tree was considered sacred and hence planted close to religious places. Kashmiri Pandits have named it “Prayag” because it is believed that the Chinar is the confluence of river Indus and Jhelum at Shadipur. Chinar Tree has been a part of both Kashmiri Pandit culture as well as Muslim culture in Kashmir and is planted in abundance around both of their shrines be it the Hazratbal Shrine or the Kheer Bhawani Shrine etc.
CHINAR VS. MAPLE
The Chinar and the Maple Trees are often confused with one another where most people think that the Maple is the English name for the Chinar, this confusion is also due to the fact that during autumn the chinar changes its color to maple red making people believe that it’s the Maple Tree. In reality, it’s not the case.
The Maple Tree although physically identical to the Chinar is actually from a different family and bears different flowers and fruits. The Chinar belongs to the Platanaceae family whose fruits and flowers form a ball like catkin, whereas the Maple belongs to the Aceraceae family with its flowers and fruits being insect pollinated forming a from a pair of winged fruits and are called the samara.
CHINAR IN POP CULTURE
The Chinar has been the inspiration for many artists, it has been featured in my epic poems, songs and many stories have been weaved around it.
Also popularly known as Buen/Boiun in Kashmiri, the tree is an ineffaceable part of Kashmirs’ history, religion, literature, politics, and romance. Chinar motif or Bhoni Tarah (chinar leaf pattern) is one of the most popular (and beautiful) motif in the market (and now on your list to buy).
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Random Musings 