Bodhi Tree

The Bodhi Tree at the Maha Bodhi Temple complex

Bodhi, a Pali word meaning ‘awaken,’ is the name given to the individual tree growing at Bodh Gaya which the Buddha was sitting under when he became enlightened. This Bodhi Tree was a variety of fig known to botanists as Ficus religiosa and which has large spreading branches and rounded leaves with a characteristic pointed tip. In the several accounts of the Buddha’s enlightenment in the Tipitaka, the Bodhi Tree is only mentioned once (Udana 1, repeated at Vinaya 1. 1-7). Tradition says that after his enlightenment the Buddha sat for seven days gazing at the Bodhi Tree out of gratitude for the shelter it had given him (Jataka 1. 77); and modern Buddhists still revere this species of tree for the same reason. The present Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya was planted in 1880 and is a distant ancestor of the original one. Bodhi trees are sometimes mistakenly called banyans which is another species of tree altogether.

In the 3rd century BCE King Ashoka of India sent his daughter Theri Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka with a sapling from the right branch of the Sacred Bodhi Tree in Buddhagaya. This was planted in the Mahameghavana garden in Anuradhapura by King Devanampiyatissa of Sri Lanka. This Bodhi Tree is still being venerated as the most sacred spot on the earth by Sri Lankan Buddhists. It remains the oldest historical tree in the world with a written history updated generation after generation (The Bodhivamsa).

The Bodhi Trees of the 28 Buddhas

The Pali Canon records some biographical information of the current Buddha, along with the previous Buddhas in known history. See: 28 Buddhas. Each Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under a tree. All of the trees are considered Bodhi Trees but they were not all the same species of tree.

No.	Name of Buddha	Bodhi Tree	Scientific name
1	Tanhankara	unknown	unknown
2	Medhankara	unknown	unknown
3	Saranankara	unknown	unknown
4	Dipankara	Pipphali tree	Ficus Obtrusfolis
5	Kondanna	Salakalyan tree	Orxylum Indicum
6	Mangala	Naga tree	Mesus Ferrea Lin
7	Sumana	Naga tree	Mesus Ferrea Lin
8	Revata	Naga tree	Mesus Ferrea Lin
9	Sobhita	Naga tree	Mesus Ferrea Lin
10	Anomadassi	Ajjuna tree	Termina Arjuna
11	Paduma	Maha-sona tree	Oryxylum Indicarum
12	Narada	Maha-sona tree	Oryxylum Indicarum
13	Padumuttara	Salala tree	Pinus Longiflis
14	Sumedha	Maha-nipa tree	Nauclea Cadamba
15	Sujata	Maha-velu tree	Bambusa Arundinacea
16	Piyadassi	Kakudha tree	Crataeva Hygrophyla
17	Atthadassi	Campaka tree	Michelia Champaka
18	Dhammadassi	Bimbijala tree	Pavetta Indica
19	Siddhattha	Kanikara tree	Pterospemum Acerifolium
20	Tissa	Asana tree	Pentaptera Tomentosa
21	Phussa	Amalaka tree	Phyllanthus Emblica
22	Vipassi	Patali tree	Bigonia Suaveolens
23	Sikhi	Pundarika tree	Mangifera indica
24	Vessabhu	Maha-sala tree	Shorea Robusta
25	Kakusandha	Sirisa tree	Acacia Sirissa
26	Konagamana	Udaumbara tree	Ficus Glomerata
27	Kassapa	Bayan tree	Nigrodha
28	Gotama	Pipphali tree	Ficus Religiosa

References

• http://www.BuddhismA2Z.com/
• The Mahavamsa, Tr.Wilhelm Geiger, 1912
• The Buddhavamsa, Pali Text Society