The sacred fig is traditionally identified as the Bodhi tree under which Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment.
The sacred fig, Ficus religiosa, is also called the peepal or pipal tree. Buddhist tradition places the Buddha’s enlightenment at Uruwela, near present-day Bodh Gaya in India, beneath a tree of this species. The site remains one of Buddhism’s most important pilgrimage destinations.
A direct descendant or propagated cutting of the original Bodhi tree is traditionally associated with the Mahabodhi Temple. A famous ancient sacred fig in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, is said to have grown from a cutting brought from India in the third century BCE.
The sacred fig is also important in Hinduism and Jainism. It is sometimes confused with the banyan, another culturally significant Ficus species, but the two have different growth habits and leaf shapes.