Tale of a Banyan tree: Telangana goes all out to save its giant, historic heritage

The attempt on the part of Telangana to save a 700-year-old giant Banyan tree has caught the attention of all.

Hyderabad, April 19: When lives of humans have become so cheap, the attempt on the part of Telangana to save a 700-year-old giant Banyan tree has caught the attention of all. After being infected by termites, the big Banyan tree in the state's Mahabubnagar district was almost on the verge of dying. Thanks to the attempt on the part of the officials to put the heritage tree on saline drips to kill the insects, the tree is coming back to life.

"World's second largest Banyan tree in Pillalamarri of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana is on a saline drip as part of the rejuvenation of the tree that is almost dying. The tree is given treatment by injecting a diluted chemical to kill termite population that infested it," tweeted ANI.

The tree, reportedly the second biggest Banyan tree in the world, spreads across three acres of land. Over the years, the Banyan tree has become a major tourist attraction. The tree is popularly called as "Pillalamarri" or "Peerla Marri" in Telangana. According to reports, visitors were not allowed to go near the tree since December last year after one of its branches came crashing down after being infected by termites.

"We diluted the Chlorpyrifos chemical and started pushing it into the stem by keeping holes, but it didn't work out. The solution was coming back instantly. Later we started injecting solution like a saline drip. This process has been effective. Secondly, we are watering the roots with the diluted solution to kill the termites. And in a physical method, we are building concrete structures to support the collapsing heavy branches," Mahabubnagar district forest officer Chukka Ganga Reddy told The Times of India.

"The tree's health is stable now. We are hoping it will become normal after a few days. We are also planning to open the site to the public after discussion with the higher officials, but this time people have to see it from a distance away from the barricades," the official added.

You can watch a video of the tree undergoing saline drip treatment below: