Ficus religiosa
| Sacred fig | |
|---|---|
| The tree trunk and distinctive heart-shaped leaves | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Moraceae |
| Genus: | Ficus |
| Subgenus: | F. subg. Urostigma |
| Species: | F. religiosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ficus religiosa | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Ficus religiosa or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent[2] and Indochina[3] that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree,[4] bo tree, peepul tree,[2] peepal tree, pipala tree or ashvattha tree (in India and Nepal).[5] The sacred fig is considered to have a religious significance in four major religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Hindu and Jain ascetics consider the species to be sacred and often meditate under it. Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment under a tree of this species. The sacred fig is the state tree of the Indian states of Odisha,[6] Bihar and Haryana.
- ^ a b "Ficus religiosa L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 45.
- ^ "Ficus religiosa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1971, p. 1014
- ^ "Ficus religiosa — Peepal". Flowers of India. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
- ^ State symbols