Concern over delayed
sprouting of sacred Buddhist Bodhi tree
Jose Kalathil, Taiwan
News, 2017/04/27
Concerns that Mahabodhi tree, the most
important Buddhist pilgrimage site, has yet to sprout new
leaves.
NEW DELHI (Taiwan News) --The legendary
Mahabodhi tree, the Sacred Fig (Ficus
religiosa) at Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar, the
most important of the four Buddhist pilgrimage sites, is fast
drying up causing concern to many.
According to Buddhist texts, Lord Buddha
attained enlightenment while meditating under it without
moving from his seat for seven days.
The spot was a center of pilgrimage even
during his lifetime. King Ashoka held a festival every year
here. The present tree is believed to be the descendant of the one
planted in 288 BC.
The other trees significant to Buddhism are
the Anandabodhi tree tree in Sravasti and the Bodhi
tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
According to the Mahabodhi Temple Management
Committee (BTMC) caretaker, it is quite common for the tree to
shed leaves in autumn, but, what worries BTMC is that unlike
other trees, which have sprouted new leaves, this Mahabodhi tree is
yet to show regeneration.
The sudden shedding of its leaves and unusual
delay in sprouting new leaves prompted BTMC secretary N Dorjee to
discuss the issue with scientists who had helped revive the tree
three years back. The tree had then gone for a treatment under
their guidance.
As per BTMC sources, when scientists visited
Bodh Gaya three months ago, they had found the tree in "good
health" with no sign of decay.
The Bodhi peepal tree is a center of
veneration for Buddhists all over the world and its dried leaves
are picked up by devotees and preserved with reverence.
Senior BTMC member Arvind Kumar Singh
attributed the phenomenon to the unusual weather conditions, with
the temperature crossing an unprecedented 40 degree Celsius in
March itself.