“I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree.” Joyce Kilmer

There’s something really special, almost magical, about old trees. Being in the presence of a living thing that has been around for hundreds of years really puts our short human lives into perspective. Each tree is unique, shaped by both its own internal biology and the forces of nature. It’s no wonder that people often give names or even build shrines to trees that are particularly old or distinctive.

India is an excellent place to see some of these giants. In fact, Matador Travel currently has a post up by YD Bar-Ness describing the “tree pilgrimage” he took across the country. I love trees, but I must admit that until now I’d never thought of traveling to India to see them. I’d always imagined touring temples, visiting the Taj Mahal and finishing up with the proverbial elephant ride. However, according to Bar-Ness, India is one of the best places in the world to go in search of distinctive trees:

Additionally, there’s nowhere else in the world with so many temple trees, popular shade trees, historical marker trees, and trees used as business locations. The Hindu and Sikh religions, especially, recognize many famous trees. Trees are used as landmarks and reminders of events, and are often planted by dignitaries to mark special occasions.

See the post on Matador for descriptions of the trees Bar-Ness visited on the “pilgrimage” and some truly amazing photography.

If you want to follow in his footsteps, you’ll need to apply for a passport and an Indian visa. India doesn’t do visas on arrival, so you’ll need to apply for your Indian visa in advance and have it in hand before you leave the states. See Indian Visa Requirements for Tourists for details on what documents you’ll need and how to apply.

If you’d like help applying for your visa, RushMyTravelVisa can assist you. We’ll take a look at your itinerary to make sure that you know which documents are needed for your trip and don’t run into any nasty surprises along the way. We’ll also help you with the visa paperwork, answering your questions and helping to catch mistakes that could delay your application. Then, we’ll deliver your Indian visa application to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your Indian visa today!

Tags: India, India visa, Indian visa

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.