Walking mango tree

An old mango tree has become the pride of this Gujarat village, not merely because of its age - which, according to the villagers, is over a thousand years - but also because of its ability to 'walk'.

Ask any villager in Sanjan Bandar in Bulsar district of south Gujarat, and he will insist that the mango tree in late Vali Ahmed Achchu's farmland has moved about 200 metres from its original place in more than two centuries and is continuing its 'walk'.

The mango tree (Mangifera Indica), which finds mention in the list of 50 heritage trees of Gujarat, has several unique features not seen elsewhere.

Its branches grow parallel to the ground from the main stem. Roots develop from a part of the branch that touches the ground, which develops in the form of a stem and the original stem dries off, he points out.

The branch keeps on growing parallel to the ground from the new stem and new roots appear in the same pattern. 'This process has continued for several hundred years, perhaps over a thousand years.

Data collected by forest officials and information handed down through generations of villagers indicate that the mango tree may have been planted by early Parsi settlers about 1,300 years ago.

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