Fruits, flowers, and vegetables grow on trees, but there is also a tree on which money grows instead of these things. You must have heard the famous proverb that is said when making an unfulfilled wish, “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” but contrary to this proverb, there is also a tree where money actually grows on the tree. This unique tree is located in the Indian state of Bihar, and due to this characteristic, it is also called the Money tree. However, money does not grow from the branches of this tree, but rather superstitious people come here, make their wishes and leave by sticking coins of various denominations on the tree as a wish. According to Indian media, this tradition is centuries old and now there is no place left to plant coins on this tree. This Bahida tree is located on the Ratnagiri hills near the Vishwa Shanti Stupa and a Japanese Buddhist temple. A large number of people come here, not only from India but also from abroad, and while leaving after their religious rituals, they make their vows in front of this tree and stick coins as a vow. A soldier on duty near this tree said that most young boys and girls come here to ask for blessings and to make marriage vows. However, environmentalist Dr. Uma Kant Singh has expressed deep concern over this, calling it pure superstition and said that planting coins in the trunk destroys the tree’s glands, which in turn stops the flow of water upwards from the roots, which is why this rare tree is slowly dying. Ayushi Jaiswal, a geography student from Varanasi, also expressed her displeasure, saying that it is unwise to kill trees that provide oxygen in the name of a vow. They demanded that the administration install railings to protect both trees and humans and impose strict restrictions on tourists.
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