Editing Bodhi tree (section)

{{short description|Sacred fig tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India}}
{{For|the tree species more generally|Ficus religiosa}}
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{{Use Indian English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
[[File:Bodhgaya 3639641913 f4c5f73689 t.jpg|thumb|The Mahabodhi tree at the Sri [[Mahabodhi Temple]] in Bodh Gaya]]
[[File:Bodhgaya 3640455476 ece9eaf386 t.jpg|thumb|The [[Diamond throne]], or ''Vajrashila'', at the spot where the Buddha is said to have sat under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya]]
[[File:Bodhi Tree Distant View - panoramio.jpg|thumb|A Buddhist monk in front of the [[Mahabodhi tree]]]]

The '''Bodhi Tree''' ("tree of awakening" or "tree of enlightenment"<ref name="gethin">{{cite book|last=Gethin|first=Rupert|author-link=Rupert Gethin|title=The Foundations of Buddhism|url=https://archive.org/details/foundationsofbud00rupe|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/foundationsofbud00rupe/page/22 22]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1998|isbn=978-0-19-289223-2}}</ref>), also called the '''Bo tree''',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Buddhism Fast Facts|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/11/world/buddhism-fast-facts/index.html|access-date=14 October 2019|website=CNN|date=11 November 2013 }}</ref> was a large sacred fig tree (''[[Ficus religiosa]]'')<ref name="gethin" /><ref>Simon Gardner, Pindar Sidisunthorn and Lai Ee May 2011. Heritage Trees of Penang. Penang: Areca Books. {{ISBN|978-967-57190-6-6}}</ref> located in [[Bodh Gaya]], Bihar, India. Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as [[the Buddha]], is said to have attained enlightenment, or [[buddhahood]], circa 500 BCE, under that tree.<ref name=Madan>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= [https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/176 176]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref> In religious [[iconography]], the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed.<!-- The root word "Bodh" means knowledge and enlightenment.  --><ref>For more on the topic see also the chapter "Buddha, Buddhism, and the bodhi tree" in ''Belief, Bounty, and Beauty'' by Albertina Nugteren. {{doi|10.1163/9789047415619_004}}</ref>

The original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama sat is no longer living, but the term "bodhi tree" is also applied to existing [[Ficus religiosa|sacred fig trees]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ficus religiosa – Plant Finder|url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d409|access-date=8 December 2020|website=missouribotanicalgarden.org}}</ref> The foremost example is the [[Mahabodhi Temple#Mahabodhi tree|Mahabodhi tree]] growing at the [[Mahabodhi Temple]] in Bodh Gaya, which is often cited as a direct descendant of the original tree. This tree, planted around 250 BCE, is a frequent destination for [[pilgrim]]s, being the most important of the four main [[Buddhist pilgrimage]] sites.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Botanic Notables: The Bodhi Tree – Garden Design|url=https://www.gardendesign.com/plants/notables/bodhi-tree.html|access-date=8 December 2020|website=GardenDesign.com}}</ref> The tree's leaves can be bought by pilgrims as mementos.<ref name=":0" />

Other holy bodhi trees with great significance in the history of Buddhism are the [[Jetavana#Discovery and current situation|Anandabodhi tree]] at Jetavana near [[Sravasti]], Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, and the [[Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree]] in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.