Bodhi Tree

The Bodhi Tree was a large and very old sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa), which grew at the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism, later known as Gautama Buddha, achieved Bodhi (spiritual enlightenment) while sitting under this tree. The Bodhi tree is easily recognised because of its heart-shaped leaves.

The word "Bodhi tree" is also applied to some existing trees, particularly the Sacred Fig growing at the Mahabodhi Temple, which is probably a direct descendant of the original tree. This tree is a frequent place for pilgrims to visit, being the most important of the four holy sites for Buddhists.

Historical events

The Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi Temple is called the Sri MahaBodhi. According to Buddhism, after his Enlightenment, Buddha spent a whole week in front of the tree, standing with unblinking eyes, gazing at it with gratitude. A shrine was later built where he had stood.

The spot was used as a shrine even in the lifetime of Buddha, the only shrine that could be so used. King Asoka held a festival every year in its honor in the month of Kattika. His queen, Tissarakkhā, was jealous of the Tree, and three years after she became queen (i.e., in the nineteenth year of Asoka's reign), she caused the tree to be killed by means of mandu thorns. The tree, however, grew again, and a great monastery was attached to the Bodhimanda called the Bodhimanda Vihara. Among those present at the foundation of the Mahā Thūpa are mentioned thirty thousand monks from the Bodhimanda Vihara, led by Cittagutta.
To Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Some part of the Bodhi Tree was sent to Sri Lanka by Ashoka. It was planted in 288 BC, making it the oldest verified specimen of any plant. In this year (the twelfth year of King Asoka's reign) the right branch of the Bodhi tree was brought by Sanghamittā to Anurādhapura and placed by Devānāmpiyatissa in the Mahāmeghavana. Buddha, on his death bed, had resolved "Mahavamsa" From Gayā, the branch was taken to Pātaliputta, then to Tāmalittī, where it was placed in a ship and taken to Jambukola, across the sea; finally it arrived at Anuradhapura, staying on the way at Tivakka.  

The trees of other Buddhas

According to the Ceylon Chronicles (e.g., Mhv.xv), branches from the Bodhi trees of all the Buddhas born during this kalpa were planted in Ceylon on the spot where the sacred Bodhi tree stands today in Anurādhapura. The branch of Kakusandha's tree was brought by a nun called Rucānandā, Konagamana's by Kantakānandā (or Kanakadattā), and Kassapa's by Sudhammā.

 Mahabodhi trees of other Buddhas 
Following is a list of the various Mahabodhi trees.
Buddha (Pāli name)Bodhirukka (tree of enlightenment; Pāli name)binomial name1Taṇhaṅkararukkaththana2Medhaṅkarakaela3Saraṇaṅkarapulila4DīpaṃkarapipphaliFicus obtusifolia5KoṇḍaññasalakalyanīkaOroxylum indicum6MaṅgalanāgaMesua ferrea7SumananāgaMesua ferrea8RevatanāgaMesua ferrea9SobhitanāgaMesua ferrea10AnomadassiajjunaTerminalia arjuna11PadumamahāsonaOroxylum indicum12NāradamahāsonaOroxylum indicum13PadumuttarasalalaPinus roxburghii14SumedhamahanīpaNeolamarckia cadamba15SujātamahaveluBambusa bambos16PiyadassikakudhaCrateva religiosa17AtthadassicampakaMagnolia champaca18DhammadassībimbijalaPavetta indica19SiddhatthakanikaraPterospermum acerifolium20TissaasanaTerminalia elliptica21PhussaamakalaPhyllanthus emblica22VipassīpāṭalīStereospermum chelonoides23SikhīpuṇḍarīkaMangifera indica24VessabhūsālaShorea robusta25KakusandhasirīsaAlbizia lebbeck26KoṇāgamanauḍumbaraFicus racemosa27KassapanigrodhaFicus benghalensis28Gautama Buddha (present Buddha)assatthaFicus religiosa29Metteyya (future Buddha)nāgaMesua ferrea

English Senior Secondary Course.com 

The Bodhi-Tree Meditation
History of Bodhi-Tree

 References 

Category:Trees
Category:Buddhism
Category:Moraceae
Category:National symbols of Nepal