Shyam / Khatushyam or Babreek or Pipal tree
virender
THIS is one tree that has defied death several times. Standing amidst
acres of the now barren sandy tract, about 15 km from Hisar, an old
peepul tree has weathered many a storm since 1973 when it first shot
into limelight after appearing in an old Brahmin's dream. It is
believed to be the tree under which a warrior Babreek, widely believed
to be a grandson of Bhima of Mahabharata fame, demonstrated his unique
skill with the bow and arrow in the presence of Lord Krishna and Arjuna
by roping all its leaves with a single arrow.
For 27 years now, this tree has survived several attempts by government
officials to axe it. The latest attempt was made a few weeks ago when
the entire area was cleared of thick forest cover to convert it into a
research farm. While thousands of trees were mowed down by giant
earthmoving machinery, no machine operator was prepared to cut down
this huge tree. It is now the only tree visible on several hundred
acres of land around it. The tree is located at Bir Babran in the
farmland originally attached to the Central Sheep Breeding Farm,
previously known as the Indo-Australian Sheep Breeding Farm. The land
has now been given to the Chaudhry Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural
University for research farming.
Even before this tree shot into fame in 1973, legend had it that the
Bir Babran village was named after Babreek, the warrior grandson of
Bhima. (Bir in common parlance means a forest and Babran is said to be
the distorted name of Babreek).
Since then Shyam Baba has been worshipped in various temples. The most
famous temple is located at Khatuji in Rajasthan. It is also said that
before giving his head in alms to the lord, Babreek requested that his
head be placed atop a tall tree so he could watch the war. The lord is
said to have accepted his request and the head was put atop a tree from
where the beheaded warrior watched the goings on in the war. This
peepul tree is different from a normal tree of this genus. Its young
leaves develop small round brownish spots which, over a period, become
small holes. While legend has it that these holes are the result of
piercing by Babreek's arrow, the non-believers term it as an unknown
disease.
Baaj Singh whose dhani (house located in a field outside the
residential area of a village) is located about 150 metres from the
tree, says he shifted here from Ferozepore in 1950 when his family was
allotted this land. As a child of eight he used to accompany his father
to the bir to graze cattle late in the evenings. He said he and his
father noticed that on poornmashi (full moon day), their cattle got
restless after hearing the sound of hoofs. It was accompanied by a
tinkling of bells that are generally tied to a horse's neck. It
appeared as if a horse was moving from the tree towards a pond some
distance away. On the bank of the pond is a mark which resembles the
mark of a hoof. Several other old villagers recount similar
experiences.
This tree stands in the middle of a bowl-shaped area which is believed
to have been a pond during the Mahabharata period. What remains of the
pond is now an old well built of small fired bricks. The well's water
is no longer fit for drinking. The well is surrounded on all sides by a
round narrow tunnel-like structure which has a small opening towards
the west. The side wall of the opening has a stone on which something
has been carved. Nobody has yet been able to decipher it. The carving
has been damaged considerably over the years and it is now hardly
visible to the naked eye.
A long and narrow drain-like structure is built on the western side of
the well. It appears that in the days of yore travellers drank water
from the well while this drain quenched the thirst of their horses and
other animals. However, the purpose of the tunnel-like structure around
the well continues to be mystery. Baaj Singh remembers that as a child
he used to enter the tunnel for playing hide-and-seek. He said it had a
hard floor. The roof and the walls were plastered. The roof of the
tunnel-like structure caved in the last year.
The tree remained an enigma till 1973 when Pandit Ram Gopal, a Brahmin
of Hisar, began to see a peepul tree in his dreams. It had a well
underneath it and a supernatural power directed him to look for the
tree. He tried to take his mind off the dream but it continued to haunt
him day after day until a few friends offered to help him locate it.
Their search led them to Bir Babran where Baaj Singh's father and
another Sikh woman Chann Kaur showed him this peepul tree. The pandit
took a vow of silence for a month and started meditating under it.
Chann Kaur recalls that for a month he only drank a cup of cow's milk
a day. In the beginning she and other villagers suspected him of being
a fraud. However, they kept watch over him during the nights until they
were convinced that the pandit was not eating anything on the sly.
After a month the pandit passed on a written message to the villagers
to dig the area around the tree. The next day the villagers dug a pit
and 20 feet below they found the head of an idol made of black stone.
Chann Kaur says the pandit fell unconscious when he held it. The land
belonged to the Indo-Australian Sheep Breeding Farm which was run by
Australians. As crowds began to throng the tree, the worried farm
officials physically removed the pandit and the idol outside the farm.
The idol was later temporarily shifted to the Rani Sati Temple in Hisar
awaiting its consecration in a temple. It continues to be there since.
But the government never allowed a temple to be built. The idol still
lies at its temporary abode. Villagers say the Australians ordered
labourers to axe the tree and demolish the well. However, they claim,
the farm hand dropped dead after the first blow of the axe. Thereafter,
every attempt to fell it failed. It is learnt that officials argued
with earthmover operators to mow the tree down recently when the entire
area was cleared of trees. However, they refused to do so. The blessed
tree is now more conspicuous than ever before.
Hundreds of families which shifted from Hisar and surrounding areas to
Mumbai, Calcutta, Assam and Gujarat come here every year to offer
prayers and hoist red and yellow flags atop the tree. Brij Mohan Gupta,
who is now settled in Calcutta came here last week to hoist flags. He
says he owes his success in business to the blessings of the tree. His
family, therefore, comes here every year. He has been doing so for 20
years now.
The villagers too offer prayers at the tree, irrespective of their
religions. Most of the villagers are Sikhs who were allotted land here
in the early fifties by the then Punjab Chief Minister Partap Singh
Kairon. But they pray here regularly and want a temple built. There are
many rich devotees who are willing to foot the bill but the government
is not prepared to give a chunk of land for the purpose. Officialdom
still treats the whole story as a hoax, yet no one is willing to pass
the death sentence on the tree.
Rekha Yadav
Virenderji, did see this place, if then
can you tell us more about this.
My we know about you.
Rekha Yadav
VIRENDER SINGH GILL
Dear Rekha Ji,
Thanks for your email. I FORWARD YOU THE LINK FOR A VIEW TO THIS PLACE :
http://www.bhagwanvalmiki.com/babreek.htm
SOME OF MY FRIENDS VISITED THIS PLACE WHICH IS IN RAJASTHAN IN SEEKAR
VILLAGE. Even before this tree shot into fame in 1973, legend had it that
the Bir Babran village was named after Babreek, the warrior grandson of
Bhima. (Bir in common parlance means a forest and Babran is said to be the
distorted name of Babreek)
Regards,
VIRENDER SINGH GILL
VIRENDER SINGH GILL
Dear Rekha Ji,
Thanks for your email. I FORWARD YOU THE LINK FOR A VIEW TO THIS PLACE :
http://www.bhagwanvalmiki.com/babreek.htm
SOME OF MY FRIENDS VISITED THIS PLACE WHICH IS IN RAJASTHAN IN SEEKAR
VILLAGE. Even before this tree shot into fame in 1973, legend had it that
the Bir Babran village was named after Babreek, the warrior grandson of
Bhima. (Bir in common parlance means a forest and Babran is said to be the
distorted name of Babreek)
Regards,
VIRENDER SINGH GILL