JUMLA, Aug. 4: Residents of Lumshera in Tila Rural Municipality, Jumla, are mourning the fall of a massive Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara), a tree they believe stood for nearly 400 years and had long served as a symbol of faith, heritage and nature.
The towering tree collapsed on Sunday, according to local residents, who say its fall marks the end of a living piece of the village's history. Its estimated age has not yet been scientifically verified.
Kalika Bhattarai, 66, said the cedar had long been regarded as a sacred tree. Another resident, 74-year-old Deep Bahadur Hamal, described Cedrus deodara as one of South Asia's strongest and longest-living timber species. Known locally in Karnali as "Dyar", the tree is believed, according to local tradition and accounts attributed to historian Yogi Naraharinath, to have existed since the era of the Pandavas.
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Hamal believes the tree may have weakened after its crown broke off in 1975, allowing water to seep into the trunk and rot the roots over time.
Eighty-four-year-old Bir Bahadur Singh said local folklore holds that a Himalayan cedar lives for about 4,000 years: one thousand years to grow, one thousand to stand, one thousand to fall and another thousand to decay. He described it as one of the region's most durable and versatile timber species.
The fallen tree, estimated to measure about four metres in circumference and 45 metres in height, toppled toward the road, causing minor damage to electricity and telephone poles and nearby paddy fields. No injuries were reported.
Local resident Nirajan Gautam urged the government to build a temple or a public resting place at the site to preserve the tree's memory.
Bharat Bahadur Budhathoki, chief of the Division Forest Office in Jumla, said authorities had been informed of the incident and would conduct a scientific study to determine the tree's actual age and ecological characteristics.
He said the Himalayan cedar, a conifer species of significant religious, cultural and historical importance, remains one of Nepal's most valuable forest trees.
For the people of Lumshera, residents say, the collapse was not merely the loss of a tree but the fall of a living witness to generations of local history.
