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Paper short abstract:

How do religion and nature interact in myriad ways in producing the social fabric of the city? Drawing on the architectural, material and religious qualities of the Peepal tree shrines, the paper looks at how tree worship and tree shade are significant actants in shaping the urbanizing Bangalore.

Paper long abstract:

Peepal tree shrines are a common site in Bengaluru. It consists of a Peepal tree, Neem tree and a serpent stone on a raised platform, making it a primarily religious space where people come to pray and tie sacred threads to fulfil wishes. While they were part of the rural fabric of Karnataka constructed to safeguard the villages, with the growing urbanization in Bangalore, most of these shrines continue to blend with the city. Given the large circumference of Peepal tree that provides a widening tree shade and the elevated platform, they are also an ideal social space for people to meet and chit-chat. Men and women sit under the shade to watch the city unfold in breeze. For many migrant workers, it is a good resting place. Autorickshaw drivers find it the ideal place to park their autos for the shade. As people engage in idle sitting, it also becomes an informal bus station as distinct from the formal bus station. Roadside vendors place their carts under the tree shade. These gatherings enable many small-scale kiosks around it. These everyday events which in itself make the city cannot be understood without the material and architectural properties of Peepal tree shrines and the tree shade. The relative non-tangibility of shade also makes it an understudied theme in urban formation. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Bangalore, the paper will explore how tree worship and material qualities of the Peepal tree shade are significant in shaping the urban life.