Over the course of the Big Tree Quest, Vata Foundation has documented the most significant tree of Chandigarh. This ancient giant has weathered centuries and now extends its shade and calm to countless visitors
Age: ~300 years
Type: Ficus Religiosa (Peepal)
Highlight: Once a sapling on the lake’s banks, today, the tree’s canopy stretches 114 feet, offering shade to countless people.
Along the sunlit walkway of Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh stands the iconic ‘Lake Peepal,’ a sprawling giant that has watched over the city for around 150 years. Its wide canopy, stretching nearly 114 feet, offers shade and quiet to the countless walkers and families who pass beneath, while its roots draw deep from the city’s history. Once just a sapling on the lake’s banks, today it is impossible to miss, anchoring the space as both landmark and living testament. Locals and tourists alike pause under its leafy dome, finding respite and a rare sense of continuity in this fast-growing city. The Lake Peepal, as both natural sanctuary and heritage symbol, gently bridges centuries of Chandigarh’s evolving story.