An early archaeological evidence of Plane tree (Platan us orientalis L.) In Kashmir Valley
Farooq A Lone, G. M. Buth & Maqsooda Khan
Lone, FarooC] A., Buth, G. M. & Khan, Maqsooda 1990. An early archaeological evidence of Plane tree (Platanus orientalis L.) in Kashmir Valley. Palaeobotanist 37(3) : 389-391.
An evidence of Platanus orientalis L. (Chinar) in charcoal samples from an archaeological site at Semthan in Kashmir Valley has brought to light the earliest record of this European tree dating back to early historic period from 500 to 1,000 A.D. The archaeological significance pertaining to its much earlier introduction in Kashmir Valley has been discussed.
Key-words-Archaeobotany, Platanus, Exotic tree, Kashmir Valley (India).
Farooq A. Lone, G. M. Buth & Maqsooda Khan, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190 006, India.
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 'i THE study of wood remains recovered from the DESCRIPTION archaeological excavations has revealed not only the type of vegetation growing and the way of PI. 1, figs 1-4 exploitation of forest trees by toe ancient inhabitants Wood diffuse to semi-ring-porous. Growth rings but also prOVided important information on the marked by a band of fibres. Vessels small, 30-80 I-Lm introduction of exotics in the Kashmir Valley (Lone, in tangential diameter, comparatively larger and 1987) The oriental plane (Platanus orientalis L.) is more clustered in early-wood and smaller, solitary or a large, graceful deciduous tree cultivated in in small files in latcwood. Intervascular pits small, Kashmir and north-west Himalaya. In Kashmir, the crowded and aligned in horizontal rows. tree is known as "Chinar" or "Buin" and is very Parenchyma apotracheal·diffuse and sparsely closely associated with the culture and folklore. Its paratracheal. Fibres thin to moderately thick-walled, introduction usually has so far been ascribed to the libriform, angular to oval in cross-view, 8-15 I-Lm Moghul emperor ]ehangir (1605-1627 A.D.) and thick and not aligned in rows. Rays commonly larger Shahjahan (1627-1658), who brought it from Central and occasionally short and fine, more or less Asia (Lawrence, 1967). But our recent investigations equidistant, homogeneous. Large rays 4 cells wide on the charcoal remains from an archaeological site and fine rays 2-3 cells Wide; height varies from 200 at Semthan in Kashmir Valley (Lac 33'48' N: Long. 450 I-Lm and width 47·103 I-Lm. 75'9'E) have revealed that this tree was in existence The above combination of characters leads us to centuries before the advent of Moghuls. refer the ancient wood to Platanus orientalis L. of 390 THE PAlAEOBOTANIST PLATE 1 1. Cross section of Platanus orienra/is wood remain, x 100. remain, x 200, 2. Higher magnification of the same as above, x 200. 4. Cross section of extant Platanus orienta/is wood for compari 3. Tangential longitudinal section of Platanus nrientCl/is wood son with the archaeological wood, x 60. the fam ily Platanaceae (Schweingru ber, 1978). and adjoining areas. Now-a-days it has been planted Comparison with the extant material of the same, for ornamental purposes. This species is indigenous further supports our identification, in greece, Macedonia, Armenia and nonhern Persia (Gamble, 1902). At present, the plane trees have also CONCLUSION come under extensive cultivation in Baluchistan and Afghanistan and in the western Himalaya as far as the The beautiful tree of Oriental Plane (P/atanus Sutlej River ascending to 8,300 ft. In all probability, orienta/is) is an old introduction in Kashmir Valley the plane tree in the north-western region of Indian LONE et al.-EARLY ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF PLANE TREE 391 subcontinent must have come from Mediterranean evidence of plane tree from Semthan has traced back region (northern Persia) in the remote past the history of its occurrence in Kashmir Valley to We do nOI know exaccly when this tree got 1,000-500 A.D., and it is to be reckoned with. introduced in Kashmir region. Some references in Whatsoever might have happened in the past, such this regard could be found in the literature. Lal Ded an early introduction of plane-the gracious (1320-1390 AD), the famous mystic poetess of ornamental tree of Kashmir, bears ample testimony Kashmir, made the reference of Plane tree in an to its importance in the archaeological context. epigram comparing "Virtuous and loving wife to the cool and refreshing shade on a hot summer day of Buin" In 'Akbarnamd written by Abul Fazl (1551 REFERENCES 1602), a scholar in the regime of Moghul emperor Akbar, it is mentioned that "the emperor took 34 Gamble, ]. S. 1902. A manual oj Indian limbers 2nd edn, Dehradun (1972). persons inside rhe hollow trunk an aged Chinar of Lawrence, W H. (1967) The valley oj Kashmir. Sri nagar (plane) tree" SimilarlyJehangir in his memories has Lone, Farooq A. (1987) Palaeo-elhnoboranical srudies of archa· made mention of a huge plane tree, in the hollow of eological si.les of Kashmir, PhD Thesis (unpublished). which he and his seven companions could be Kashmir Univ., Srinagar. comfortably accommodated. All the same, these Schweingruber, F. H. 1982 Mikroskopische Holzanatomie (2. Auflage) Teufen AR. references have led us to conclude that plane trees Turrin, T. G, Heywood, V. H., Buges, N. A. & Valentine, D. H. 1964. were already existing in Kashmir when the Moghul In: Wallers, S. M. & Webb, D A. (eds)-Flora Europaea, Cam emperors visited this area. Now, the first factual bridge Univ. Press. SD,!2d .,