LUCKNOW, June 5 -- Scientists at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences (BSIP) found the world's oldest known banyan tree in Munger, Bihar, through radiocarbon dating wood samples in a recent study. Scientists believe refining this technique would help not only in determining the age of trees but also in paving new directions for the conservation of natural, historical, and cultural heritage. Scientists involved in the research said that locals believed the banyan tree was grown as a supplement to a heritage building with late Mughal architecture and British modifications-the Burra Bungalow. The tree has a canopy of about 2,500 square meters. The team collected wood samples from an exposed secondary trunk and a primary branch of the Munger Banyan, indicating the branch began forming around 1342 CE, suggesting a minimum radiocarbon age of about 700 years for the tree. Banyans lack clear annual growth rings, which makes traditional tree-ring dating impossible. Prof Mahesh G Thakkar, director, BSIP, said that heritage trees are invaluable repositories of ecological, cultural, and historical information. Trina Bose, one of the scientists on the study, said, "The tree likely took root towards the end of the early medieval period or early phases of the late medieval period. It predates the nearby heritage building, suggesting it was a remnant of an older natural forest and later became a cultural gathering site. These findings make it the oldest accurately dated Banyan tree. The only other radiocarbon-dated banyan tree in the Siddhwari sacred grove, Upper Ganga Ramsar site has a minimum age of 462 years, making the Munger specimen at least two centuries older," Bose added. Mayank Shekhar, a co-author of the study said that numerous ancient trees of exceptional heritage value are likely distributed across different districts and remain scientifically undocumented. Akhilesh Kumar Yadava, another co-author of the study said, "This study represents a significant milestone in scientifically dating ancient trees in tropical regions."...