The Banyan Tree At Sion In British Era Bombay, 1812 Print
An 1812 coloured engraving of the Banyan Tree at Sion during the time of British Era Bombay. The scene was drawn by a British lady, Maria Graham, an accomplished illustrator and travel writer. The title reads Banian Tree, engraved by James Storer. Maria Graham travelled to Madras, Calcutta, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during the early 19th century.
Maria Graham, had brought out a book giving an account of her travels. One of the events was when she came across a huge banyan tree during her excursion to Sion. It was a large tree spread over a great space, the vines from its branches descend to the ground, taking root to become new trunks. The banian tree is sacred and is usually found near temples.
It was common to see granite stones sculptured with Hindu Gods figures near the sacred banian trees. Native hindus would round it in token of respect, with their hands joined, and their eyes fixed on the ground. Ms Graham further narrates “Sion Fort is on the top of a small conical hill ; it commands the passage from Bombay to the neighbouring island of Salsette, and was of importance while the Mahrattas possessed that island, but it now only serves to beautify the scene.
At the foot of the little hill of Sion is a causeway, or vellard, built by Mr Duncan, the present governor, across a small arm of the sea, which separates Bombay and Salsette. The vellard begun in 1797 and finished in 1805…” Maria Graham, in 1919, accompanied her husband Thomas Graham a ship’s captain to Italy, South Africa, and Chile. While in Chile her husband died during tenure, she then returned to England in 1826.
Did you know – Sion, was a small island north of Parel island when Bombay was a group of seven islands.
Past posts – The First Oleograph Printed In The Raja Ravi Varma Press In 1894.
