Sacred Fig
Leaves and trunk of a Sacred Fig. Note the distinctive leaf shape.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Moraceae Genus: Ficus Species: F. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its For other meanings see Rosales (disambiguation. Rosales is an order of Flowering plants including nine families Moraceae is a family of Flowering plants commonly known as the mulberry or fig family Ficus is a Genus of about 850 Species of woody Trees Shrubs Vines Epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes in the family religiosa
Binomial name
Ficus religiosa L.

The Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) is a species of banyan fig native to Sri Lanka, Nepal and India, southwest China and Indochina east to Vietnam. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an Epiphyte when its Seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host Tree (or on structures like Ficus is a Genus of about 850 Species of woody Trees Shrubs Vines Epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes in the family Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially It is known by a wide range of local names, such as Bo or pou (from the Sinhalese bo), Bodhi (in Thai Language), Pipal (peepal, peepul, pippala, pimpal, etc. Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese Thai (th ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai, transliteration:; pʰāːsǎːtʰāj is the national and ), arali or Ashvastha tree. According to the Hindu mythology, ashvastha (or Assattha), that is the Ficus religiosa, is a sacred tree for the Hindus and has been extensively It is a large dry season-deciduous or semi-evergreen tree up to 30 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 3 m. The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the Tropics. Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or M is the thirteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled em (ɛm In Botany, trunk (or bole) refers to the main structural member of a Tree that supports the Branches and is supported by and directly attached

The Bodhi Tree at the Mahabodhi Temple. The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree ( Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh The Mahabodhi Temple (Literally "Great Awakening Temple" is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Propagated from the Sri Maha Bodhi, which in turn is propagated from the original Bodhi Tree at this location. History The tree is said to be the southern branch of the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya in India under which Buddha attained Enlightenment

The leaves are cordate in shape with a distinctive extended tip; they are 10-17cm long and 8-12cm broad, with a 6-10cm petiole. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. The fruit is a small fig 1-1. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. 5cm diameter, green ripening purple.

The Bodhi tree and the Sri Maha Bodhi propagated from it are famous specimens of Sacred Fig. The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree ( Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh History The tree is said to be the southern branch of the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya in India under which Buddha attained Enlightenment The known planting date of the latter, 288 BC, gives it the oldest verified age for any angiosperm plant. Events By place Greece The Macedonian King Demetrius Poliorcetes, faces a combined attack from Lysimachus and The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group

This plant is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, and hence the name 'Sacred Fig' was given to it. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma / Shraman Dharma (जैन धर्म is an ancient religion of India. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Siddhartha Gautama is referred to have been sitting underneath a Bo Tree when he was enlightened (Bodhi), or "awakened" (Buddha). Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Bodhi (बोधि is both the Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as "enlightenment Thus, Bo Tree is well-known symbol for happiness, prosperity, longevity and good luck. Today in India, Hindu Sadhus still meditate below this tree, and in Theravada Buddhist Southeast Asia, the tree's massive trunk is often the site of Buddhist and animist shrines. In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an Ascetic or practitioner of Yoga ( Yogi) who has given up pursuit of the first three History Origin of the school The Theravāda school is ultimately derived from the Vibhajjavāda (or 'doctrine of analysis' grouping which was a continuation

Typical shape of the leaf of the Ficus Religiosa

Plaksa

Plaksa is a possible Sanskrit term for the Sacred fig. The Sacred Fig ( Ficus religiosa) or Bo-Tree (from the Sinhala bo) is a Species of Banyan Fig According to Macdonell and Keith (1912), it rather denotes the Wavy-leaved Fig tree (Ficus infectoria).

In Hindu texts, the Plaksa tree is associated with the source of the Sarasvati River. The Sarasvati River ( Sanskrit: sa सरस्वती नदी sárasvatī nadī) is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu The Skanda Purana states that the Sarasvati originates from the water pot of Brahma and flows from Plaksa on the Himalayas. Skanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text is the largest Purana and is devoted mainly to the life and deed of Kartikeya Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. The Sacred Fig ( Ficus religiosa) or Bo-Tree (from the Sinhala bo) is a Species of Banyan Fig According to Vamana Purana 32. 1-4, the Sarasvati was rising from the Plaksa tree (Pipal tree). The Sacred Fig ( Ficus religiosa) or Bo-Tree (from the Sinhala bo) is a Species of Banyan Fig ^[1]

Plaksa Pra-sravana denotes the place where the Sarasvati appears. ^[2] In the Rigveda Sutras, Plaksa Pra-sravana refers to the source of the Sarasvati. ^[3]

Notes

See also

• Sri Maha Bodhi
• Sitala

References

• Keith and Macdonell. History The tree is said to be the southern branch of the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya in India under which Buddha attained Enlightenment Sitala, Sītala Devi or Māri (Tamil is the Goddess of Smallpox or the Goddess of Disease in popular or non-Vedic 1912. Vedic Index of Names and Subjects.
• Plaksa description

External links

• Sacred fig description
• Entry on Bodhi Tree in the Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names