For the tree species more generally, see Ficus religiosa.
Sacred fig tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India
24°41′45.29″N84°59′29.29″E / 24.6959139°N 84.9914694°E / 24.6959139; 84.9914694
The Bodhi Tree ("tree of awakening"[1]), also called the Mahabodhi Tree, Bo Tree,[2] is a large sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa)[1][3] located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or buddhahood circa 500 BCE under this tree.[4] In religious iconography, the Bodhi Tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed.[5]
The original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama sat is no longer living, but the term "bodhi tree" is also applied to existing sacred fig trees.[6] The foremost example of an existing tree is the Mahabodhi Tree growing at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, which is often cited as a direct descendant of the original tree. This tree, planted around 250 BCE, is a frequent destination for pilgrims, being the most important of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage sites.[7]
Other holy bodhi trees with great significance in the history of Buddhism are the Anandabodhi Tree at Jetavana in Sravasti in North India and the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Both are also believed to have been propagated from the original Bodhi Tree.[citation needed]
The Forest Research Institute of India assists in the upkeep of the tree since 2007.[8][9][10] Cloning has been considered in 2008.[11] Its sacred leaves can also be bought by pilgrims as mementos.[11] Religious offerings, which would draw insects, were shifted to some distance from the tree.[11]
^ abGethin, Rupert (1998). The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-19-289223-2.
^"Buddhism Fast Facts". CNN. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
^Simon Gardner, Pindar Sidisunthorn and Lai Ee May, 2011. Heritage Trees of Penang. Penang: Areca Books. ISBN 978-967-57190-6-6
^Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 176.
^For more on the topic see also the chapter "Buddha, Buddhism, and the bodhi tree" in "Belief, Bounty, and Beauty" by Albertina Nugteren. doi:10.1163/9789047415619_004
^"Ficus religiosa – Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
^"Botanic Notables: The Bodhi Tree – Garden Design". GardenDesign.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
^Kazmi, S M A (7 August 2007). "Forest institute suggests methods to save Bodhi tree – Indian Express". The Indian Express Archives. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
^Qadir, Abdul (31 August 2017). "Two Forest Research Institute scientists examine Bodhi tree, collect sample". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
^Sahay, Anand Mohan (25 October 2007). "Branch of bodhi tree was cut 3 years ago: Report". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
^ abcBedi, Rahul (9 April 2008). "Scientists turn to cloning in attempt to save Buddhism's holiest tree for posterity". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
6959139; 84.9914694 The BodhiTree ("tree of awakening"), also called the Mahabodhi Tree, Bo Tree, is a large sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located...
mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhitree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipala tree or ashvattha tree (in India and Nepal). The sacred fig is considered...
The BodhiTree Bookstore, originally BodhiTree Book and Tea Shop, was an independent bookstore specializing in world religions, wisdom traditions, metaphysics...
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a historical sacred bo tree (Ficus religiosa) in the Mahamewuna Garden in historical city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This is believed...
about 96 km (60 mi) from Patna. The site contains a descendant of the BodhiTree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment, and has been a major pilgrimage...
station was built around it. The sacred Banyan tree is the national tree of India, and the BodhiTree under which the Buddha is said to have meditated...
extreme ascetic practices and resolved to sit under a peepal tree, also known as a Bodhitree (Ficus religiosa), and simply meditate until he found the root...
Burma, China and Thailand, in particular. The day the most revered tree, the Bodhitree, a sapling of which was brought by her to Sri Lanka and planted in...
Kalutara Bodhiya is a Bodhitree (sacred fig) located in Kalutara, Western Province of Sri Lanka. Situated on the Galle Colombo main road, by the side...
becoming the majority shareholder in the company since April 2023, with BodhiTree Systems owning minority stakes. The company owns and operates various...
"椴樹/Tilia" tree is similar to that of Bodhitree, it was planted in temples to replace the sacred Bodhitree. They are also often called Bodhitrees, just...
venture, backed by new funding from Uday Shankar and James Murdoch's BodhiTree Systems. JioCinema began to subsume Viacom18's existing streaming platform...
include the Dharma wheel, the Indian lotus, the three jewels and the Bodhitree. Buddhism symbolism is intended to represent the key values of the Buddhist...
Ashvattha – the world tree of Hinduism, held to be a supernatural F. religiosa Bodhitree – a F. religiosa Charybdis Fig Tree of Homer's Odyssey, presumably...
Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment (Pali: bodhi) under what became known as the BodhiTree. Since antiquity, Bodh Gaya has remained the object...
Vihara, there is the BodhiTree: a sacred fig tree. This BodhiTree was planted at Deekshabhoomi from three branches of the BodhiTree at Anuradhapura in...
Marrimanu The coat of arms of Indonesia depicts a banyan tree. BodhiTree Midh Ranjha tree "banian". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved...
peepul in Rig Veda mantra I.164.20.[citation needed] In Buddhism, the BodhiTree under which Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment is also of the same species...
BodhiTree prospering inside its new temple. Numerous other sculptures at Sanchi show scenes of devotion towards the BodhiTree, and the BodhiTree inside...
Ashoka's empress Tishyarakshita had the BodhiTree destroyed. In Ashokavadana, the empress manages to have the tree healed after she realises her mistake...
Trees are significant in many of the world's mythologies, and have been given deep and sacred meanings throughout the ages. Human beings, observing the...
the oldest-known trees, as reported in reliable sources. Definitions of what constitutes an individual tree vary. In addition, tree ages are derived from...
various Buddhist terms, most notably bodhi and vimutti. The abstract noun bodhi (/ˈboʊdi/; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: bodhi) means the knowledge or wisdom, or...
other from Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka of the sacred Bodhitree. A branch of the original Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gaya is believed to have been taken to Anuradhapura...
called Bodhi). World Tree Égig érő fa, the "Tree Reaching into the Sky" of Hungarian folk art and a folk tale type Irminsul Jievaras, the World tree in Lithuanian...
temples include Stupa, Bo Tree and Temple Buildings. Oldest living human-planted BodhiTree in the world Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi and some of the largest Stupa...