Munger banyan, about 700 years old, is the oldest accurately dated banyan
A banyan tree in Munger, Bihar, about 700 years old, has been identified as the oldest accurately dated banyan (Ficus benghalensis) through radiocarbon dating by scientists of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow (announced 3 July 2026).
Summary
A banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) in Munger, Bihar, estimated to be about 700 years old, has been identified as the oldest accurately dated banyan using radiocarbon dating, the Ministry of Science and Technology said on 3 July 2026. A team led by Dr Trina Bose of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, an autonomous DST institute, with Dr Mayank Shekhar and Dr Akhilesh K. Yadava, extracted alpha-cellulose from wood near the pith and dated it by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, calibrated with the IntCal20 curve. Conventional tree-ring dating does not work well because most tropical broadleaf trees lack distinct annual rings. The result refutes the belief that the tree was planted in front of the 'Burra Bunglow', a building about 300-350 years old.
Key facts
- Tree
- Banyan (Ficus benghalensis), Munger, Bihar
- Age
- About 700 years
- Method
- Radiocarbon dating of alpha-cellulose by AMS; IntCal20 calibration
- Institute
- Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow (DST)
- Lead scientist
- Dr Trina Bose
Practice MCQs 3 questions
The banyan tree identified in July 2026 as the oldest accurately dated banyan, about 700 years old, is in which place?
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Correct answer: A — Munger, Bihar
A banyan tree in Munger, Bihar, about 700 years old, was identified as the oldest accurately dated banyan.
Which institute's scientists dated the Munger banyan using radiocarbon dating?
Show answer
Correct answer: C — Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow
The team was led by Dr Trina Bose of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, an autonomous institute under DST.
Why could conventional dendrochronology not be used to date the Munger banyan?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Most tropical broadleaf trees lack distinct annual growth rings
The absence of distinct annual growth rings in most tropical broadleaf trees limits conventional dendrochronology, so the team used radiocarbon dating of alpha-cellulose.