I-banyan—Umuthi Owodwa Uba Ihlathi

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! ENDIYA

IHLATHI ngokuvamile lakhiwa imithi eminingi. Kodwa kunehlathi elakhiwa umuthi owodwa nje. I-banyan wumuthi ongavamile ukuyedlula yonke, ongasabalala uze uhlanganise indawo engaphezu kwamahekthare amabili! Iqala kanjani ukukhula? Izandisa kanjani kuze kube yilapho ingabizwa ngokuthi ihlathi ngempela?

I-banyan ingeyeqembu lezitshalo eziqhakazayo elibizwa ngokuthi ama-Urticales futhi ingeyomkhaya wama-Moraceae, noma umkhaya we-mulberry, ohlanganisa izinhlobo ezingaba ngu-800 zezitshalo zomkhiwane. I-banyan, noma umkhiwane i-Bengal, iqala ukuphila kwayo okude kusukela embewini esemisimbaneni yezinkawu, izinyoni, noma yamalulwane okuye kwadla isithelo se-banyan.

Lembewu ihluma emagatsheni omuthi okukhosele kuwo lezi zilwane, futhi izimpande zimila kahle emaqabungeni abolile anqwabelene emifantwini. Izimo eziswakeme zisiza ukuba izimpande zomuthi omusha zikhule ngokushesha; ziyaqina nhlangothi zonke zesiqu somuthi “oyisisulu” futhi zikhule zishone phansi emhlabathini. Njengoba ziba qatha futhi ziba nkulu, zicinanisa umuthi ezikhosele kuwo, zenze lolu hlobo lwesitshalo lubizwe ngokuthi i-strangler fig.

Manje i-banyan isilungele ukwanda. Izimpande azisabalali zisuka ezansi kwesiqu salomuthi omkhulu kuphela kodwa njengoba amagatsha evundla eba made, izimpande ezilenga kuwo zishona phansi futhi zizigxumeke emhlabathini. Ukwakheka kwehlathi kube sekuqalile.

I-banyan, etholakala ezindaweni ezishisayo zase-Afrika naseNdiya, enamacembe amakhulu, ayisicaba, iba isambulela esenzela abantu nezilwane umthunzi. Omunye umuthi eNdiya ubanzi kangangokuba kuthiwa ukwazi ukukhoselisa abantu abangaphezu kuka-20 000! Isithelo sayo asikulungele ukudliwa ngabantu, futhi ukhuni lwe-banyan luthambile futhi lunezimbotshana; nokho, into ethile emhlophe, enamathelayo ebizwa ngokuthi inomfi, ephuma kulolu khuni, isetshenziselwa ukubamba izinyoni.

Iphila isikhathi eside kangakanani i-banyan? Omunye umuthi osezweni lase-Andhra Pradesh kucatshangelwa ukuthi uneminyaka engaphezu kuka-600; eminye imithi ephawulekayo, evikelwe ineminyaka engaphezu kuka-250. Futhi ukukhula nokusabalala kwe-banyan kuqhubeka ngokungenasiphelo.

I-banyan okuthiwa inkulu kunawo wonke aziwayo iseSri Lanka. Ineziqu ezinkulu ezingu-350 nezincane ezingaphezu kuka-3000 zonke zixhumene nomuthi owodwa omkhulu. Muva nje eNdiya kwakalwa umuthi onezimpande eziyimixhantela ezingaphezu kuka-1100 futhi onesembozo esiwumpheme esingaphezu kwamahekthare amabili futhi kwatholakala ukuthi yiwona omkhulu kunayo yonke kulelozwe. Uhlala uqashwe amadoda amane ahlomile ukuze uvikelwe ekonakalisweni. Amanye ama-banyan adumile eNdiya ahlanganisa naleyo engaseBangalore ethatha indawo eyihekthare elingu-1,2 futhi eyindawo yepikiniki ethandwa kakhulu abantu abahlala kuleli dolobha. Kube sekuba umuthi omangalisayo osepaki lokulondolozwa kwemvelo laseRanthambhore. Njengoba kwakhulunywa ngawo emibhalweni yombusi uMogul eminyakeni engu-500 edlule, lomuthi unikeza umthunzi izinyoni, amalulwane, izinyoka, izingwejeje, noquqaba lwezilwane ezincane nezinambuzane, ngaphandle kokuba indawo yokudlala neyokuzingela yamahlosi nezinye izilwane ezizingelayo kuleli paki.

Nokho, mhlawumbe i-banyan eyaziwa kakhulu eNdiya yileyo eneminyaka engu-240 eseNational Botanical Gardens eCalcutta. Njengoba inobude obungamamitha angaphezu kuka-24,5, ihlanganisa indawo eyihekthare elingu-1,2 futhi inezimpande ezilengayo ezingaphezu kuka-1800 nesihlekehleke samacembe esingudedangendlale esingamamitha angu-420 sisonke. Ihlathi uqobo lwalo!

Inkolo Ne-banyan

Kusukela ezikhathini zasendulo abantu baye bakhulekela imithi. Kungokufanayo nange-banyan; ngisho nanamuhla ibhekwa njengengcwele eNdiya. Imithi engcwele kucatshangwa ukuthi imelela onkulunkulu abathile—ngokuphathelene ne-banyan, unkulunkulu uVishnu. Kubhekwa njengokukhulekela unkulunkulu womuthi lapho lomuthi utshalwa, uniselwa, futhi waziswa.

Emiphakathini yasendulo yasePolynesia, nakhona i-banyan yayithathwa njengengcwele. Imikhosi engokwenkolo yayenzelwa endaweni enkulu engunxade, noma e-tohua, eyayizungezwe izindlu. Ekupheleni kolunye uhlangothi lwalendawo enkulu kwakuvame ukuba nethempeli eline-banyan engcwele, emagatsheni ayo kulenga izishuqulu zamathambo amalungu avelele esizwe asafa.

Igama lalomuthi omkhulu laqanjwa okokuqala ngqá abantu baseYurophu. EPersian Gulf naseNdiya, abahambi bamazwe bokuqala baseYurophu babona ukuthi lompheme womuthi owudedangendlale, ofana nesambulela ubanikeza umthunzi abahwebi abendlala kuwo izinto zabo ukuze bazivikele ekushiseni kwelanga okukhipha umkhov’etsheni. Ngokwesimiso samaHindu sokuhlukaniswa kwabantu ngezigaba, abahwebi babevela esigabeni esikhulu esibizwa ngokuthi i-Vaisya, kanti isigaba esiphansi, ama-banya sasingabathengisi abadumile bokusanhlamvu nezinye izinto ezisetshenziswa ekhaya. Ukuqaphela ukuthi um-banya uthengisela izinto zakhe ngaphansi kwalomuthi onomthunzi kwaholela ekutheni laba bakwamanye amazwe babize lomuthi ngokuthi i-banyan.

Ngalezo zinsuku ama-banya ayevame ukugqoka isikibha sikakotini esinamaphakethe afihlekile ukuze afake imali yawo. Njengoba sipholile futhi siwasheka kalula, lesi sikibha sasivamile kubahwebi abangama-banya kangangokuthi saze sabizwa ngokuthi i-banyan, futhi kamuva lelo gama lasetshenziswa kunoma isiphi isikibha noma iyembe langaphansi labesilisa. Leli gama lisasetshenziswa eyembeni langaphansi labesilisa eNdiya, futhi umkhuba wama-banya wokugqoka lolu hlobo lweyembe lapho esebenza usekhona ngisho nanamuhla.

Ake Sikhwele I-banyan

Ubungathanda yini ukukhwela uze ufike enkabeni ye-banyan? Ungakwazi uma uke wavakashela eHyderabad eningizimu yeNdiya. Eduze neBegumpet Airport, futhi ngasenkabeni yedolobha, kuneMachan, indawo yokudlela ekwelenyoni eyakhelwe emagatsheni aqinile e-banyan nawomakhelwane wayo i-pipal, nayo ewumkhiwane. Khwela isikhwelo sezintambo eziqatha udlule izindawo zokuphumula eziyisicaba olokhu uhlangana nazo. Isakhiwo okuso senziwe ngoqalo, amacembe kakhukhunathi, nangezintambo. Uphahla loqalo olumise okombhoshongo ocijile lukuvikela elangeni nasemvuleni njengoba ungena egunjini lokudlela eliphezudlwana kulawa amabili akhiwe ezitezi ezihlukene. Manje ususebangeni elingamamitha angu-9 ukusuka phansi. Impahla yasendlini eyenziwe ngomuthi we-cane nemifanekiso yesizwe elengiswe odongeni kwandisa umuzwa wokuba sehlathini.

Njengoba uhlala phansi, unikwa ikhadi elinohlu lokudla elibizwa ngokuthi i-Mowgli, okuyigama elijwayelekile kubafundi bezindatshana zikaRudyard Kipling ezikuyi-Jungle Book. Nalokhu kunezela emoyeni wokuba sehlathini. Manje hlala uzinze ukuze ube nokuhlangenwe nakho okuyingqayizivele kokudla isidlo usenkabeni ye-banyan. Jabulela ukudla kwekhethelo kwamaNdiya, njengo-biriyani abanongwe kahle okuyibona abenze iHyderabad yaba nodumo, ama-kebab, nezinye izidlo ezihlukahlukene.

Lapho usuqedile ukudla, yehla ngokucophelela ngesikhwelo sentambo, ubuke impophoma encane nedamu elineminduze i-lotus, bese uphuma kulendawo yokudlela eyingqayizivele ekwelenyoni kudedangendlale wompheme we-banyan—umuthi ongasabalala, usabalale, usabalale kuze kube yilapho umuthi owodwa uba ihlathi.

[Isithombe ekhasini 1]

I-“banyan” eyodwa iye yakhula yaba ihlathi

Phezulu: Isithombe esithwetshulelwe eduze se-“banyan” phakathi kweNational Botanical Gardens, eCalcutta

[Isithombe ekhasini 16]

Umuthi we-“banyan” eNational Botanical Gardens, eCalcutta

[Isithombe ekhasini 16]

Indawo Yokudlela iMachan emthini i-“banyan,” eHyderabad