Sacred Peepal
SACRED PEEPAL TREE
PEEPAL. Ficus religiosa. Bo tree. Sacred Fig. Pipal. Peepli
An Avenue Tree. Can be seen in Baba Kharak Singh, Mandir Marg.
Fig Wasp
Leaves drooping. WAXY with WAVY MARGINS, heart shaped base and ELONGATED TIP, LEAF STALKS VERY LONG. Figs in pairs, from leaf axils, dark red or purple when ripe.
Gautam Buddha it is believed achieved enlightenment meditating under a Peepal tree growing in Bodh Gaya (Bihar) and this particular tree came to be known as 'Bodhi Tree'. The original tree is no longer there but a sprig of the Bodhi tree was taken to Sinhala capital city of Anuradhapura (in the hills of North Shri Lanka) in 288 BC and was planted in a temple. Here a sprig grows into a tree and was venerated as the 'Sri Maha Bodhi' because of its association with the Buddha. There also grew a superstition that Ceylon's ruling dynasty would be preserved as long as the Sri Maha Bodhi remained alive and so the tree was looked after and guarded day and night.
116 successive Sinhala kings ruled here for nearly 1300 years, but after invasion in 9th century AD, the city was abandoned for another site. The dynasty did not long much longer. Hidden in thick jungles, the city became inaccessible for many centuries and so to the Maha Bodhi Tree. It was only in the 20th century that Anuradhapura was 'rescued' from the jungle and became accessible once more to pilgrims and visitors. Amazingly, the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree was still alive making it over 2000 years old. It is still there today, a major focus of pilgrimage in Sri Lanka.
The Peepal is also sacred to Hindus, who venerate it as the female to the Banyan. Vows are made to it, and spoons are fashioned from its wood for ladling ghee on the sacred fire. A Peepal tree is an essential part of the sacred thread ceremony and at the laying of the foundation of the building- so sacred that Hindus are averse to destroy a Peepal seedling even when it lodges in the crevices of buildings, threatening to pull them down.
PEEPAL Ficus religiosa : The sacred Peepal. A deciduous tree of hot , moist, and dry forest. The Peepal is a large much revered an epiphytic strangler fig lacking arial roots. Trunks of large Peepal are often fluted and sinewy. Trunk short thick, exudes milky latex. Its glossy long tailed leaves hanging down from extended leaf stalks are distinctive clatter noisy in the slightest breeze. Seasons : Leaves : Leaves start to fall in January, most trees are bare by mid March. From late March to late April new leaves emerge in tints of pink, copper and cinnamon, before darkening. Leaves large with waxy margins and long stalks, heart shaped at the base with very long pointy tips. Leaves nearly triangular with a heart shaped base and a long thin tail or 'drip tip' The edge of the leaf is waxy. the blade (including the tail) can be up to 30 cm long though this is an exceptional size more about 14 cm .In texture leaf is like rexine and is perfectly hairless. Dark and glossy at the top, dull and pale below with prominent yellow green veins. The leaf stalks are exceptionally long. Figs : open around mid April attracting hordes of birds. Some trees have a second flush. ripening in October. Figs in pairs, from leaf axis, reddish at first, eventually deep purple when ripe, It is exceptionally long lived and specimens over 2 millennia old are known.
Also known as ‘Bodhi’ tree is worshiped by Hindus. Peepal is a deciduous tree that grows to a height of 100 feet. Not just for Hindus, the tree is sacred to Jains and Buddhists. It is believed that Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under this tree, people ought to feel a sense of alacrity or calmness when they spend some time under it.
Ever seen the flowers of Peepal tree ?
'Containers' ? That's exactly what figs are hollow containers that house masses of little flowers, which mature into fruit. Fig plants carry their flowers inside their figs. These flowers densely lining its inner wall, instead of the usual compact cluster or 'head' of flowers, (like that of babool for instance, the fig has a head of flowers turned outside in). The true fruit are very tiny and develop from these flowers, maturing inside the fig. So when we eat a fig, technically, we are not biting into a fruit, but into a container that holds the flowers and the true fruit.
There are 3 separate kinds of fig flowers :
- Male flowers with male equipment (stamens) to provide pollens.
- Female flowers wide equipment's (ovules and styles) to receive the pollen and set seed
- Sterile 'gall flower' which look much like female flowers, but with much shorter styles.
The mass of flower inside a fig are easy to see. Fig wasp play all the important role of pollinating its flowers. Without fig wasp, the female flowers would not recieve any pollen and the fig would not set seed.
Hence lies one of nature's most amazing symbiotic relationships between a tree and a insect. A clockwork mechanism of such delicate precision that its story deserves to be told properly.
Pink or red leaves of Peepal : Leaves fleshy pink or red before turning green. The red pigment act like a sunblock protecting tender new leaves from harsh ultra violet light. It make for some for truely beautiful site in Delhi from March through May.
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