 in Munger, Bihar, has been identified as the world’s oldest accurately dated banyan tree.jpg)
A banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) in
Munger, Bihar, has been identified as the world’s oldest accurately dated
banyan tree
¨
A banyan tree (Ficus
benghalensis) in Munger, Bihar, has been identified as the world’s oldest
accurately dated banyan tree.
¨
Scientists estimated its
age to be about 700 years using high-precision radiocarbon dating.
¨
The age was determined by
analysing alpha-cellulose extracted from wood samples.
¨
The tree is located on
the Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) campus in Munger and is associated with the
historic Burra Bungalow area.
¨
Radiocarbon dating
measures the decay of Carbon-14 in organic materials and is widely used in
archaeology, geology, and palaeosciences.
¨
Banyan trees generally do
not form distinct annual growth rings, making conventional dendrochronology
(tree-ring dating) unsuitable.
¨
The use of
alpha-cellulose provides more accurate age estimation for long-lived tropical
trees.
¨
The research was led by
Dr. Trina Bose of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow.
¨
Other researchers
involved in the study were Dr. Mayank Shekhar and Dr. Akhilesh K. Yadava.
¨
The Birbal Sahni
Institute of Palaeosciences is an autonomous institute under the Department of
Science and Technology (DST).
¨
The findings were
published in the peer-reviewed international journal Quaternary Research in
April 2026.
¨
Quaternary Research
focuses on the Quaternary Period, covering the last 2.58 million years of
Earth's history.
¨
The study suggests that
the banyan tree is several centuries older than the Burra Bungalow and is
likely a remnant of a natural forest that once existed in the region.
¨ Ficus benghalensis is the National Tree of India and is widely found in the tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia.
¨ Banyan trees are known for their aerial roots, which grow downward and develop into additional supporting trunks.
