Almora’s famous centuries-old bougainvillea vine, cedar tree uprooted

Almora: The famous ‘made for each other’ couple of

Almora

؅— the bougainvillea vine and cedar tree — clinging to each other for the last 130 years, collapsed together on Wednesday morning after continuous heavy rainfall. Hugging the huge cedar tree, this bougainvillea vine was a landmark and an identity of Almora.

"This couple was a unique heritage of Almora, an identity of the town. All nature lovers and people of Almora are mourning over this loss. The people were accustomed to seeing its beauty for many years and now it has come to an end," Prakash Chandra Joshi, Almora municipality chairman told TOI.

This tree has been the centre of attraction for photographers of Almora. A famous photographer from Almora, Jayamitra Singh Bisht, said, "I have taken pictures of this vine hundreds of times in the last 20 years. It used to blossom two to three times a year, and each time its beauty inspired me to take more pictures. I have taken the best of my town's pictures of the blooming bougainvillea vine from the Cantt area." Bisht said that it's believed that in 1890, the Shah family of Almora brought this bougainvillea vine from Haridwar and planted it here.

Many people associated with Almora have expressed regret over the falling of this vine and tree in social media, and shared their memories of the blooming bougainvillea. Sharing an old photo of the vine, a Facebook user Neeraj Singh Pangtey wrote, "This morning, the famous loving couple said goodbye to us."

Meanwhile, chairman Joshi told TOI that the municipality will again plant a cedar and bougainvillea vine in the park. "Only this will be a true tribute to this couple from Almora," he added.