A majestic banyan tree standing on the Indian Tobacco Company campus in Munger, Bihar, has been confirmed as the oldest accurately dated banyan tree in the world.
Scientists at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow determined the tree has a minimum radiocarbon age of approximately 700 years, placing its origins around 1342 CE during the late mediaeval period.
The research team, led by scientists Dr Trina Bose and Mayank Shekhar, collected wood samples from an exposed secondary trunk and a primary branch of the tree.
Radiocarbon dating revealed the samples were 276 and 652 years old respectively, with the older branch suggesting the tree likely took root towards the end of the early mediaeval period.
The tree's canopy spans approximately 2,500 square metres, supported by an intricate network of aerial roots and secondary trunks.
The Munger specimen significantly predates the only other radiocarbon-dated banyan in India-a tree in the Siddharwari sacred grove at the Upper Ganga Ramsar site in Narora, which has a minimum age of 462 years.
This makes the Munger banyan at least two centuries older than any other scientifically verified specimen. The findings have been published in the international journal Quaternary Research.
Local tradition holds that the tree has long served as a gathering place for both rulers and commoners, and locals believe it was grown alongside a heritage building featuring late Mughal architecture and British modifications known as the Burra Bungalow.
The study represents a significant advancement in tropical tree dating, as many species in these regions do not form clear annual growth rings, making traditional dendrochronology difficult.
The research team's approach emphasises precise pith targeting from exposed wood samples, offering a refined methodology for dating heritage trees across South Asia.