Sacred trees in Sikhism
[1] In India, the ber (Indian jujube) tree and its fruit is widespread and has played a prominent role in Indic culture since ancient times.
[2] The Sikh gurus themselves favoured the planting of jujube trees at locations of religious significance, such as gurdwaras.
[2] At the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, one can find jujube trees which hold religious importance to Sikhs.
[3] Sikhs believe a leper, who was the husband of Bibi Rajani, was cured after bathing in the small body of water near this tree.
[2] A Ziziphus jujuba tree associated with Guru Nanak can be found at Gurdwara Ber Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi.
[4]A beri tree can be found at Siloani in Ludhiana which Guru Gobind Singh is believed to have tied his horse to whilst traveling in the Malwa region in the aftermath of the Battle of Chamkaur.
[5] The building (specifically known as a Manji Sahib) at this site was originally a small, domed room, which was transformed into a larger structure later-on.
[5] Three iron girdles have been installed to support the aging tree as well as stilts by the local gurdwara management committee.
[7] In the past, the Hoshiapur area was once inhabited by many garna trees, and their fruits were consumed by pilgrims en route to the Naina Devi temple.
[9] Peepal trees have long been considered spiritually significant in Indic religions, finding specific mention in the Guru Granth Sahib's verses.
[10] It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh passed through this location whilst travelling from Muktsar to Talwandi Sabo in the early part of 1706.
[11] The reason for the tree's health decline has been attributed to salt offerings by pilgrims damaging its roots.
[11] A large ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) tree called Beri Sahib is found near the Gurdwara Sri Shaheed Ganj in Mehraj, Punjab.
Historic trees associated with Sikh history are also at risk due to neglectful and poorly made judgements without consulting botanical experts, such as strangling the roots and base with concrete and marble, covering the trees with fibre glass, and erecting steel beams around the trunks.
[12] Efforts are ongoing to revive and preserve the life of the Beri trees surrounding the Golden Temple.
[13][14][15][16] In the late 1990's, the tips of the three prominent sacred jujube trees within the Golden Temple complex started drying.
