Folk-Lore/Volume 29/The Praying Palm of Faridpur

The Praying Palm of Faridpur.

Calcutta, 4th January.

Under the presidency of Lord Ronaldshay Sir J. C. Bose delivered a lecture this evening on "The praying palm-tree."

Sir J. C. Bose said that perhaps no phenomenon was so remarkable and shrouded with greater mystery as the performances of a particular palm tree near Faridpur. In the evening while the temple bells rang calling the people to prayer the tree bowed down as if to prostrate itself, and erected its head again in the morning. This process is repeated every day of the year. The phenomenon had been regarded as miraculous and pilgrims had been attracted in great numbers. It was also alleged that offerings made to the tree had been the means of effecting marvellous cures.

The lecturer first obtained photographs of the two positions which proved the phenomenon to be real. The next thing was to devise a special apparatus to record continuously the movement of the tree day and night. The records of the palm tree showed that it fell with the rise of temperature and rose with the fall. The records obtained with other trees brought out the extraordinary and unsuspected fact that all trees are moving, such movement being in response to changes in their environment.

Pioneer Mail, Allahabad, 11th January, 1918.