![]() ![]() In 1862 British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham wrote of the site as the first entry in the first volume of the Archaeological Survey of India: In the 7th century AD, Chinese traveler Xuanzang wrote of the tree in detail.Įvery time the tree was destroyed, a new tree was planted in the same place. Among those present at the foundation Kattika the Mahā Thūpa are mentioned thirty thousand monks from the Bodhimanda Vihara, led by Cittagutta. The tree, however, grew again, and a great monastery was attached to the Bodhimanda called the Bodhimanda Vihara. 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 cursed the tree to be killed by means of mandu thorns. Emperor Ashoka the Great was most diligent in paying homage to the Bodhi tree, and held a festival every year in its honour in the month of Kattika. The spot was used as a shrine even in the lifetime of the Buddha. ![]() A shrine called Animisalocana cetiya, was later erected on the spot where he sat. According to Buddhist texts, the Buddha meditated without moving from his seat for seven weeks (49 days) under this tree. Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment ( bodhi) while meditating underneath a Ficus religiosa. The Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi Temple is called the Sri Maha Bodhi. Sculpture of the Satavahana period at Sanchi, 1st century CE. Illustration of the temple built by Asoka at Bodh-Gaya around the Bodhi tree. Origin and descendants Bodh Gaya 1810 picture of a small temple beneath the Bodhi tree, Bodh Gaya. Religious offerings, which would draw insects, were shifted to some distance from the tree. Its sacred leaves can also be bought by pilgrims as mementos. The Forest Research Institute of India assists in the upkeep of the tree since 2007. Both are also believed to have been propagated from the original Bodhi Tree. 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. This tree, planted around 250 BCE, is a frequent destination for pilgrims, being the most important of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage sites. 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. 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. In religious iconography, the Bodhi Tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. 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. The Bodhi Tree ("tree of awakening" ), also called the Mahabodhi Tree, Bo Tree, is a large sacred fig tree ( Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. The Mahabodhi Tree at the Sri Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya The Diamond throne or Vajrashila, where the Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh GayaĢ4☄1′45.29″N 84★9′29.29″E / 24.6959139°N 84.9914694☎ / 24.6959139 84.9914694 ![]() Sacred fig tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India ![]()
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