Bodhi Tree, Bodhgaya, Bihar India

It is that holy tree under which Buddha sat in his meditation & attained his 'Knowledge'. Under the tree is a red sandstone slab that is said to be the Vajrasana, the diamond throne on which Buddha sat and attained nirvana. The tree, located behind the temple is about 80 feet high.Can you guess its age? It is about 115 years old.

Gautam Sidhartha had learnt the eternal knowledge of life and death under this tree. Though the actual tree is not alive, the sapling of the original tree brought from Sri Lanka is still here. In and around the 3rd century B.C Sanghamitta, the daughter of Emperor Asoka brought a branch of this Bodhi tree and planted it in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka where it still grows today. The existing tree is more than 122 years old and quadrangular stone railings of two types representing two different style and material surround it.