Kheda,DeshGujarat

We some young friends usually spend our weekend discovering Gujarat. When I along with my friend Nilesh went on such a journey in Kheda-Bharuch district’s far flung interior areas, we came across this huge Rukhda tree (Rukhda in our Gujarati language and Baobab in internationally)

Forest department had a signboard near this tree describing its important. It is said that in whole India only 15 Rukhda trees are alive nowadays. Rukhda trees are earliest kind of trees existing on the earth. Rukhda tree can live at least for 1000 years. Even in worst case of forest fire, Rukhda trees are known to not get burnt.

Rukhda trees are so wide that in earlier time Rukhda trees were used to prison criminals. Rukhda trees can contain thousands of liter water inside. Rukhda trees are called as ‘KalpaVruksh’ in our culture. ‘KalpVruksha’ is a kind of tree which can fulfill your all wishes.

Ever since I saw this Rukhda tree, I falled in love with this species of tree and started taking interest. Till now I have come to know about three Rukhda trees in Gujarat. One is what you are seeing in the photos above. It is situated on Kheda-Mahisagar road. Another is near Vadodara(I don’t know exact location but I watched a story about that Rukhda tree on T.V. once upon a time) and another in North Gujarat’s Polo forest’s Pal village.

This discovery of Pal village’s Rukhda tree was made by Dr. Rajal Thacker who runs an ngo ‘Nisarg’. She has measured Rukhda tree in Polo forest which is having 11 meter diameter. She had written an email to chief minister informing him about this tree and urging him to protect this tree. In reply forest officer Pandit called her and said that according to chief minister’s order, forest department would protect this tree. You can see Polo forest’s Rukhdo tree in the photo below this text. You can also see how much a Rukhdo tree actually can spread in the photo at extreme bottom(That photo is not from Gujarat).
– Gujarati