According to Buddhist tradition, sal trees stood beside the Buddha at his death.
The Mahaparinibbana Sutta describes Gautama lying between twin sal trees at Kusinara, now generally identified with Kushinagar in India. This event is called parinirvana, the final passing away of a fully awakened Buddha after the end of physical life.
The sal tree is scientifically associated with Shorea robusta, a large tree native to the Indian subcontinent and mainland Southeast Asia. Buddhist art and pilgrimage traditions often depict the Buddha reclining between the trees.
The sal trees are distinct from the bodhi tree, traditionally associated with the Buddha’s enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. They are also different from the tree connected with his birth at Lumbini, traditionally identified as an ashoka tree.