The tree pilgrims see today
The tree standing on the west side of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya is a pipal, a species of fig. Pilgrims treat it as the successor of the tree under which, according to Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha Gautama became awakened. It is called the Mahabodhi tree, the “great tree of awakening”.
An important point at the start: a fig tree does not live for twenty-five centuries unchanged in one spot. Whatever stands at Bodh Gaya now is not the original plant. What tradition offers is a story of succession, in which the present tree grows from earlier trees that in turn trace back to the first. The details of that succession are not documented in a single clear record, which is why careful writers say “traditionally” and “according to accounts”.
The tradition of descent
The best-known account comes from Sri Lankan Buddhist chronicles, which tell that during the reign of Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, his daughter Sanghamitta, a Buddhist nun, carried a branch or cutting of the Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka. It was planted at Anuradhapura at the invitation of the Sri Lankan king. The tree growing there, the Sri Maha Bodhi, is usually described as among the oldest continuously tended trees with a known planting tradition in the world. Its own history is told in the article on Sri Maha Bodhi. The date and the details come from the chronicles, so they are best read as the tradition of the Sri Lankan community rather than as independently confirmed history.
The same tradition becomes important at Bodh Gaya, because it gives a way for the tree there to be renewed. If the original was lost, a descendant of the cutting could be brought back.
Why replanting stories differ
Various later accounts describe damage to the tree at Bodh Gaya. Different sources attribute this to hostile rulers, to neglect, or to natural decline, and they place the events in different centuries. Some name particular kings, and the associated dates and sequences differ between texts. Scholars do not all treat these stories as equally reliable, since some were written long after the events and some served religious or political purposes.
The fuller picture also includes the accounts of Chinese pilgrim monks, notably Xuanzang in the 7th century CE, who describes visiting a tree at the site and reports that it had been cut down and had regrown. His record is valued, though descriptions of this kind come from one visitor’s report.
For the modern period, a commonly told version is that in the 19th century the old tree had died or collapsed, and that the colonial-era archaeologist Alexander Cunningham, who surveyed the site, recorded the situation. A new tree was then planted, reported to come from a sapling descended from the Anuradhapura tree. This is often given as the origin of the present tree, though some sources give slightly different years or numbers of generations. If you read that the current tree is the “third” or “fourth” in a line, treat the number as one tradition’s count rather than a firm fact.
The reasonable conclusion is plain: there is a living tree with a long and partly legendary line of descent, and there is general agreement that it has been renewed more than once. The precise genealogy is less certain.
What the tree means to visitors
For many pilgrims the question of exact descent matters less than what the tree does at the site. Devotees see it as a living link to the moment of awakening, and they come to sit, meditate, chant and make offerings nearby. The wider symbolism of such trees in art and practice is explained in the article on Bodhi symbolism, and the practice of devotion at Bodhi trees across traditions is described under Bodhi Puja, so only a few points are needed here.
- Visitors often sit on the paved courtyard facing the tree, sometimes in groups chanting in their own language.
- Many walk clockwise around the temple and tree, in line with the common custom of circumambulation.
- Fallen leaves are frequently picked up as keepsakes. It is better not to pull leaves from the branches, and the site rules and staff instructions come first.
- Offerings are usually left in designated places. Flowers, small lamps and strips of cloth are common, but customs vary, and some offerings are restricted for the tree’s health.
Care of the tree
A tree of this age and in a crowded compound needs ongoing care. Railings, supports and protective measures are used, and caretakers monitor its health. Visitors can help by staying behind barriers, not climbing on supports, and not pinning or tying objects to the branches. Rules about touching the trunk and leaving offerings vary and may change, so follow signs and local guidance.
Placing the tree in the site
The tree is one element of a larger sacred complex, which also includes the main temple and the stone seat. The relationship between those parts is outlined in the overview of the Mahabodhi complex. The story of the awakening itself, which gives the tree its meaning, is told in separate articles on Bodh Gaya.
If you are visiting, check current information on visiting hours and access before travelling, since arrangements change.