Banyan Flowers

“Bougainvillea suits a banyan beautifully.”

With that thought, we planted the two together in the cave we call the Gama, close beside the stone Buddha who sits there.

Ten years on, the trees have twined together above the Buddha’s head into a parasol that gives just the right amount of shade.

Blooming among the dense, dark green leaves of the vigorous banyan, the dainty, vivid bougainvillea looks just like the banyan’s own flowers.

Whenever a pleasant breeze drifts through the Gama, the flowers, now at their height, sway gracefully, like dancers on the banyan’s stage.

Beneath that stage in the air, the huge moss-covered stone Buddha, seven metres tall and weighing thirty-five tonnes, narrows his eyes and looks content.