THE HISTORICAL BER TREES IN GOLDEN TEMPLE
The Golden Temple is the central religious abode of the Sikhs. On its premises, the old historic ber or jujube trees (Scientific name: Ziziphus mauritiana) are a sign of rich culture and faith.
The Golden temple complex has three historical ber trees — ‘Ber Baba Budha Sahib,’ ‘Dukh Bhanjani Beri,’ and ‘Lachi Ber.’ The trees have been present since the fourth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Ram Das. The ber trees are known to live for 100 years, but they have lived more than four times their life span.
The Ber Baba Budha Sahib is the oldest tree among them and has lived more than 450 years. Ber tree is also known after the highly respected religious Saint Baba Budha Ji. Dukh Bhanjani Beri is the second very old ber tree in India. The tree is mentioned in the tale of Bibi Rajni. According to the story, Bibi Rajni, one of the five daughters of Seth Duni Chand, a ruler of the Patti area, had angered her father by showing her dedication toward God, unlike her sisters, who had expressed their commitment towards their father. Angered by this, he married off Rajni to a leper, whom she happily accepted as her husband. Soon, her husband became healthy after taking a bath in the pond, under the canopy of this tree, when Guru Ram Das was addressing a congregation nearby. Since then, the devotees take a holy dip in the sacred Sarovar near the ‘Dukh Bhanjani Beri to get relief from all health problems.’ The leprotic husband of Bibi Rajni took a bath in the holy Sarovar and became healthy.
Lachhi Ber is named after the round-shaped fruit that it bears. The tree is located near the main gate of the Golden Temple, known as Darshni Deori. In the late 90s, the trees started to dry up. The branches of the trees dried due to clogging of sap and lac infestation. The devotees used to touch the main stem with their oily hands after partaking of the Prashad, which resulted in the clogging of the passage of sap. In 1993, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) contacted Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), and they adapted prolonged strategies for the rejuvenation of the trees.
The dried and dead branches were pruned, insecticides were sprayed, and devotees were asked neither to place the Prashad near the tree nor to touch the tree with oily hands. The thick layers of concrete and marble were removed to ensure that the root zone gets proper space and air. As a result, the trees started showing signs of improvement in health, flowering, and fruiting. Fencing is provided around the trunks for support. Even today, the PAU plays an important role in taking care of the tree, which holds great importance to every devotee visiting the place.
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