Ashvattha

The Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa), Ashvattha or Bo-Tree is a species of banyan fig native to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, southwest China and Indochina. 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 leaves 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 is a small fig 1-1.5cm diameter, green ripening purple.

The Bodhi tree and the Sri Maha Bodhi 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 plant.

This plant is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, 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), or “awakened” (Buddha). Thus, the 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.

Local names

It is known by a wide range of local names:

in South-East Asia:
- Burmese: ဗောဓိညောင် bo: di. njaun / bɔ́ dḭ ɲaʊ̀̃
- Indonesian: pohon bodhi
- Khmer: ពោធិ poutʰiʔ
- Lao: ໂພ pʰóː
- Mon: ဇြဲ1 sòa
- Thai: โพธิ์ ˈpʰoo
- Vietnamese: Bồ-đề
in Indic languages:
- Hindi: पीपल pipal (sometimes transliterated as: peepal, peepul, pippala, pimpal, etc.)
- Sanskrit: अश्वत्थः aśvatthḥ ; vṛiksha
- Pali: assattha; rukkha
- Tamil கணவம் kaṇavam.
- Malayalamഅരയാല്‍ Arayal
- Bengali অশ্বত্থ asbattha, পিপল, Peepal

Plaksa

Plaksa is a possible Sanskrit term for the sacred 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 Skanda Purana states that the Sarasvati originates from the water pot of Brahma 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.

References | External links

note by the editor: 10 Ashvattha seeds were started in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on July 8, 1996, the same day the son of the editor named Bo Kedar was born. 3 trees still live a happy life inside their home.