Ficus religiosa

• Ficus religiosa or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family.
• It is also known as the bodhi tree,[4] pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipal tree, ashvattha tree (in India and Nepal), or Asathu (ඇසතු) in Sinhala.
• The sacred fig is considered to have a religious significance in three major religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hindu and Jain ascetics consider the species to be sacred and often meditate under it.
• This is the tree species under which Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.
• The sacred fig is the state tree of the Indian states of Odisha, Bihar and Haryana.

USES:-

1. Ficus religiosa is used in traditional medicine for about fifty types of disorders including asthma, diabetes, diarrhea, epilepsy, gastric problems, inflammatory disorders, infectious and sexual disorders.
2. Farmers in North India also cultivate it for its fig fruit.
3. The trunk of this tree is used by farmers as a soil leveller. After seed harvesting, the rectangular trunk is connected to tractors and levels the soil
4. The leaves of the trees are used to cure Asthma.
5. The milk incurred from the leaves is used to relieve eye pain.
6. The peepal tree can cure problems like diarrhea, epilepsy, and gastric troubles.

Cultural & Historical Importance:

• The peepal tree, a big evergreen tree that is native to the Indian subcontinent and people consider it holy.
• The earliest known record of Ficus religiosa in human culture is the use of peepal leaf motifs in the pottery of the Helmand culture, found at Mundigak site, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, dating back to third millennium BCE
• The peepal tree is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.
• Buddhism:
  Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment (bodhi) while meditating underneath a Ficus religiosa. The site is in present-day Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India. The original tree was destroyed, and has been replaced several times. A branch of the original tree was rooted in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka in 288 BCE and is known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi; it is the oldest living human-planted flowering plant (angiosperm) in the world.
• Hinduism:
  Sadhus (Hindu ascetics) meditate beneath sacred fig trees, and Hindus do pradakshina (circumambulation, or meditative pacing) around the sacred fig tree as a mark of worship.

Plantation:-

• Soil

  Sacred Fig grows well in sandy loam soil which is well-drained although it can grow in a wide variety of soils. If you live in a tropical region, you must have seen Peepal trees growing in the crevices of the floors or roofs or rocks. They prefer soil with having a pH below 7.

• Environment

  Ficus religiosa is a tolerant tree that can thrive in various climate zones (Köppen climate classification categories of Af, Am, Aw/As, Cfa, Cwa, and Csa) and different soil types. It grows at lower elevations in forests in Paraguay and has been observed in China at elevations between 400 to 700 metres (1,300 to 2,300 ft). In India, where it is a native species, it grows naturally in the wild and is cultivated up to altitudes of 1,520 metres (4,990 ft).

• Climate

  Ficus religiosa is adaptable to various climate zones, including tropical rainforests, monsoon climates, savanna climates, and warm temperate climates with wet or dry conditions.