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The Kashmir Timeline

The Chinar

The great plane tree whose leaf became a symbol of Kashmir.

The Chinar photograph

Photo: uncredited · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The chinar, the oriental plane tree, grows huge and long-lived in Kashmir, shading mosques, shrines, gardens and village squares. The Mughals planted it widely in their gardens. In autumn its leaves turn flame red and gold, the season Kashmiris call harud.

Facts

  • Chinars are protected by law, and cutting one down needs official permission.
  • The chinar leaf appears across Kashmiri craft designs, from shawls to papier-mâché.