All Topics  
Sacred Fig

 
Sacred Fig

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Sacred Fig
 
 
  Topics Sacred Fig Topic Home

The Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) or Bo-Tree (from the Sinhala bo) is a species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of banyan
Banyan

A banyan is a Ficus that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree . "Banyan" often refers specifically to the species Ficus benghalensis, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle, and systematics to refer to the subgenus Urostigma'...
 fig
FIG

FIG may refer to:* F?d?ration Internationale de Gymnastique* International Federation of Surveyors...
 native to India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
, southwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Indochina
Indochina

Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a subregion in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly east of India, south of China.The word has French origins, Indochine, and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory to bordering countries....
 east to Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
. It is known by a wide range of local names, such as Bo or pou , bawdi or bawdi nyaung in Burmese language
Burmese language

The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the government officially recognizes the language as Myanmar in English, most continue to refer to the language as Burmese....
, Bodhi (in Thai Language
Thai language

Thai , is the national language and official language language of Thailand and the mother tongue of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group....
, though pronounced Po), Pipal (peepal, peepul, pippala, pimpal, etc.), arasa maram or Ashvastha
Ashvastha

According to the Hindu mythology, ashvastha , that is, the Ficus religiosa, is a sacred tree for the Hindus and has been extensively mentioned in texts pertaining to Hinduism....
 tree.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Sacred Fig'
Start a new discussion about 'Sacred Fig'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Recent Posts

does the peepal tree give oxygen for 20 hrs. if true how is it possible after sunset
peepal tree








Encyclopedia


The Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) or Bo-Tree (from the Sinhala bo) is a species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of banyan
Banyan

A banyan is a Ficus that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree . "Banyan" often refers specifically to the species Ficus benghalensis, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle, and systematics to refer to the subgenus Urostigma'...
 fig
FIG

FIG may refer to:* F?d?ration Internationale de Gymnastique* International Federation of Surveyors...
 native to India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
, southwest China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Indochina
Indochina

Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a subregion in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly east of India, south of China.The word has French origins, Indochine, and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory to bordering countries....
 east to Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
. It is known by a wide range of local names, such as Bo or pou , bawdi or bawdi nyaung in Burmese language
Burmese language

The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the government officially recognizes the language as Myanmar in English, most continue to refer to the language as Burmese....
, Bodhi (in Thai Language
Thai language

Thai , is the national language and official language language of Thailand and the mother tongue of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group....
, though pronounced Po), Pipal (peepal, peepul, pippala, pimpal, etc.), arasa maram or Ashvastha
Ashvastha

According to the Hindu mythology, ashvastha , that is, the Ficus religiosa, is a sacred tree for the Hindus and has been extensively mentioned in texts pertaining to Hinduism....
 tree. It is a large dry season
Dry season

The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillation from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year....
-deciduous
Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
 or semi-evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
 tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
 up to 30 m
M

M is the thirteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English language is spelled em ....
 tall and with a trunk
Tree Trunk

Tree Trunk is a song recorded and released in 1972 by The Doors.Tree Trunk was recorded by the surviving members of The Doors as they assembled material for their second and final album, Full Circle , following the death of Jim Morrison....
 diameter of up to 3 m.

Mahabodhitree
The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are cordate in shape with a distinctive extended tip; they are 10-17cm long and 8-12cm broad, with a 6-10cm petiole. The fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
 is a small fig 1-1.5cm diameter, green ripening purple.

The Bodhi tree
Bodhi tree

The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo , was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree located in Bodh Gaya , under which Gautama Buddha, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi....
 and the Sri Maha Bodhi
Sri Maha Bodhi

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Gautama Buddha became enlightened....
 propagated from it are famous specimens of Sacred Fig. The known planting date of the latter, 288 BC, gives it the oldest verified age for any angiosperm
Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
 plant.

This plant is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
, Jainism
Jainism

Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness....
 and Buddhism
Buddhism

Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
, and hence the name 'Sacred Fig' was given to it. Siddhartha Gautama is referred to have been sitting underneath a Bo-Tree when he was enlightened
Bodhi

Bodhi is both the Pali and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English language as "enlightenment." The word "Buddhahood" means "one who has achieved bodhi." Bodhi is also frequently translated as "awakening."...
 (Bodhi), or "awakened" (Buddha). Thus, the Bo-Tree is well-known symbol for happiness, prosperity, longevity and good luck. Today in India, Hindu Sadhu
Sadhu

In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga who has achieved the first three Hindu Puru?artha: Kama , artha , and even dharma ....
s still meditate below this tree, and in Theravada Buddhist Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
, the tree's massive trunk is often the site of Buddhist and animist shrines.

Plaksa

Plaksa is a possible Sanskrit term for the Sacred fig. According to Macdonell
MacDonell

Macdonell, Macdonell, or McDonell is a surname of Scottish origin. It refers to:Persons*A. G. Macdonell , Scottish writer, journalist, and broadcaster...
 and Keith
Keith

Keith may refer to:People with the given name Keith:*Keith People with the surname Keith:*Keith In places:* The Barony of Keith in East Lothian Scotland, its caput being Keith Marischal....
 (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
Sarasvati River

The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert....
. The Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana

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 , a son of Shiva and Parvati....
 states that the Sarasvati originates from the water pot of Brahma
Brahma

Brahma is the Hinduism god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedanta philosophy known as Brahman....
 and flows from Plaksa on the Himalayas. According to Vamana Purana 32.1-4, the Sarasvati was rising from the Plaksa tree (Pipal tree).

Plaksa Pra-sravana denotes the place where the Sarasvati appears. In the Rigveda Sutras, Plaksa Pra-sravana refers to the source of the Sarasvati.

See also

  • Sri Maha Bodhi
    Sri Maha Bodhi

    Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Gautama Buddha became enlightened....
  • Sitala
    Sitala

    Sitala, Sitala Devi or Mariamman is the Goddess of Smallpox or the Goddess of Disease in popular or non-Vedic Hinduism....


External links