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An Indian book claims, Kashmir valley houses world's oldest and longest Chinar tree.

The 700-year-old tree is located in the garden of Sufi saint Syed Qasim Shah in Chattergam of Badgam district of Kashmir.

The claim was made in a book "The Trees of Our Heritage," by nature writer M.S. Wadoo, who had done extensive research on the subject and assessed the tree as the longest and the oldest. The tree is believed to have been planted by Shah in 1374. The trunk of the tree has a circumference of 31.85 metres and a height of 14.78 metres.

The locals in the area stand by the claim made by Wadoo in his book.

"The Chinar tree standing here is the oldest Chinar in Kashmir and the entire world. We have heard that when saint Syed Qasim Shah and Mir Syed Ali Hamadani came here they brought it with them and planted it here. Our elders told us that they used to stay here in a cave near the tree," said Fida Hussein, a local resident.

"The villagers here and in the nearby villages tell everyone proudly that the world largest tree is in our village," said Zafar Hussein, a local resident.

"The trees of our heritage" also claims originally Chinar tree was found only in Greece but later it reached western Himalayan region of India.

The book also dismissed the notion that Chinar was brought in Jammu and Kashmir by Mugals in the 17th century saying there were several mentions in earlier historical accounts about the tree's existence in the state. (ANI)

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