Aatish-e-Chinar

“Jis khaak ke zameer me hai aatish-e-chinar,

Mumkin nahi ki sard ho woh 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).

The majestic Chinar trees(Platanus orientalis), have been synonymous with Kashmir’s landscape from time immemorial, featuring prominently in her literature, politics, religion and romance. The Chinar, radiant in red, mauve, amber and yellow, dots the autumn landscape of Kashmir, bringing cheer to people whose lives have been marred by years of militancy. Each year, the shedding of Chinar leaves, locally known as Buen, marks the onset of autumn and sets off a process of change —helping the people to weave fresh tales of hope. Legends narrate that the oldest Chinar tree in Kashmir, is around 700 years old and was planted by the Sufi Saint Syed Qasim Shah in Chattergam, in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. The tree grew to be 14.78 metres high.  Chinar across the centuries has emerged as a semblance of unity among the varied religious communities coexisting in the Valley as to each, the tree remains significant. While Hindus revere the tree, the towering Chinars being found in abundance in the goddess Bhavani temples of Kashmir including the auspicious Kheer Bhavani temple at Ganderbal as they believe the Kashmiri term ‘Buen’ originates from Bhavani; their Muslim brothers from the Valley give similar importance to the tree as two of their most auspicious shrines–Sultan-ul-Arifeen and Hazratbal, are equally dotted with Chinar.  This tree is also, often considered to be the only witness to the wails and pain of grieving Kashmiri mothers as they sit underneath the Chinar canopy and find solace. Chinar ironically provides shade and solace also to the deceased as they spread their shade over several graveyards of the Valley. With a strict ban on their felling, Chinar, found in abundance throughout the Valley, host migratory birds in winter who fly all the way from Siberia and Russia and thus continue to provide a shade of continuity in the ever-changing vicissitudes.