Chautaara are erected and maintained by individuals as an act of public service, often to earn religious merit or in memory of a deceased parent. Commonly they'll be found on sites associated with animist deities, indicated by sindur -coloured stones. The trees, too, are considered sacred. Invariably, one will be a pipal , whose Latin name ( Ficus religiosa) recalls its role as the bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. Nepalis regard the pipal, with its heart-shaped leaves, as a female symbol, and women will sometimes fast and pray before one for children, or for success for the children they already have. Its male counterpart is the banyan ( bar in Nepali), another member of the fig genus that sends down Tarzan-vine-like aerial roots which, if not pruned, will eventually take root and establish satellite trunks. A chautaara is incomplete without the pair; occasionally you'll see one with a single tree, but sooner or later someone will get around to planting the other.