Chandigarh, June 5 -- In a city better known for its sectors and roundabouts, a patch of land in Daria village on the city's south-eastern fringe, holds genetically true clones of trees that once sheltered the Sikh Gurus.

The Museum of Trees spread over nearly five acres, funded by the Ministry of Culture and promoted by the Chandigarh Nature and Health Society has quietly been growing for years, largely under the public radar. Its founder, author, environmentalist and former IAS officer DS Jaspal, conceived it around a disarmingly simple concern - India's most sacred trees are old, and nobody is preparing for the day they will be gone.

"Every sacred tree is a living witness to history," said Jaspal. "If we lose the original trees, we l...