ABSTRACT
Some Hindus believe that the Lord Brahma planted the original Bodhi tree, while the Buddhist chronicles claim that it magically sprang up at the time of the Buddha’s birth. The fig tree assumes particular importance in Hindu tradition owing mainly to its two-way growth. The symbolism of this tree is mentioned in the Puranas, and also in the fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. In Kalinga Bodhi Jataka, the Buddha declared to Ananda that there are three kinds of objects proper to be worshipped – Seririka; Uddesika; and Paribhogika. The Bodhi tree has played a significant role in Buddhist mythology. It is said to have provided shade for the throne upon which Sakyamuni attained liberation and also witnessed the divine moment of Mara’s defeat. General Cunningham, when visiting that same spot in 1861, described the sacred tree as a cluster of numerous trees, which were predominantly decayed with only a few younger branches green.
