Lahore: Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) Director General Ahmad Usman Javaid said Sunday that a Bodhi tree, considered sacred by Buddhists, had reached full foliage at National Bank Park Lahore.
He said the tree, commonly known as the ‘Buddha tree’, was planted by the PHA to preserve and highlight the city’s historical, cultural and botanical heritage.
According to Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya in India and subsequently became known as the Buddha, or the ‘Awakened One’. Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, a major patron of Buddhism, is also traditionally associated with the sacred site.
DG Usman Javaid said the original tree at Bodh Gaya no longer existed, while the tree at the Mahabodhi Temple was believed to be its direct descendant and remained one of the most revered Buddhist sites.
According to Buddhist sources, a branch of the Mahabodhi tree was taken to Sri Lanka in 236 BC by the children of Emperor Ashoka. Its descendant, the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, still stands there.
He said a scion of the tree was presented to then-President Ayub Khan during his visit to Sri Lanka in December 1963. The sapling was subsequently planted by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then foreign minister, at the Taxila Museum in January 1964.
The PHA director general said Buddhists revered religious relics, including the Buddha’s bodily remains, and accorded similar reverence to the Bodhi tree as a living symbol associated with the Buddha and his enlightenment. ‘Buddhists treat the tree as an individual in its own right and approach it with piety,’ he said.
DG Usman Javaid said the PHA was maintaining Bodhi trees at three Lahore parks, Lawrence Garden, National Bank Park and Racecourse Park. He said the species generally developed fresh foliage during late summer and autumn, particularly from September to November in Pakistan, and flourished under full sunlight.
‘The Buddha tree is more than an ornamental plant. It carries history, and we wanted Lahore’s green spaces to carry it too,’ he said.
The PHA director general said Pakistan’s rich Buddhist heritage, extending from Taxila to Gandhara, was an important part of the country’s cultural heritage. He said the PHA would continue to maintain the trees and hoped families and students would visit them to learn about their historical and cultural significance.
Meanwhile, the Bahawalpur Horticulture Agency marked Pilkan Day by planting saplings of the indigenous tree.
Known locally as Pilu or Paki, Pilkan is traditionally associated with the Rohi, or Cholistan, region. The tree and desert landscape also form part of the cultural and natural heritage associated with renowned Sufi poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid, whose poetry extensively reflected the landscape, flora and culture of the Rohi.
Bahawalpur Horticulture Agency Managing Director Nayyar Mustafa, along with members of the local peace committee, planted Pilkan saplings to mark the occasion.