The Sacred Bodhi Tree
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THE SACRED BODHI TREE
THE SACRED BODHI TREE
The Bodhi Tree or Bodhi Fig Tree (“tree of awakening”) also called the Bo Tree was a large and ancient sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India.
The Sacred Bodhi Tree – the shades under which the Siddhartha Gautama meditated and attained Enlightenment on the full Moon day of Vaisakh Purnima (May month). This peepal tree’s botanical name is ficus religiosa. It was under this tree that the Buddha spent the first week in meditation after attaining Enlightenment. The present tree is probably the fifth succession of the original tree which was earlier destroyed several times by man-made misery and natural calamities.
The proper term “Bodhi Tree” is also applied to existing sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) trees, also known as bodhi trees. 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.