Under the Bodhi tree

A sapling of the legendary Bodh Gaya tree now thrives at the Theosophical Society in Adyar

Bodhi tree-Theosophical society in Chennai Photo: D Krishnan

I had always wanted to see the ruins of Nalanda and the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, so I jumped at the opportunity when a friend offered to organise a trip. And it was there, that a local tourist guide, at the Mahabodhi Temple, first told me about the Bodhi tree and its Chennai connection.

At Bodh Gaya, I was alternating between photographing monuments in the fast-fading evening light and listening to the long sing-song narrative, a tone which most guides adopt, when we reached and stood under the Bodhi tree. That is when the guide tapped me on my shoulder to get my attention and told me about the tree.

I listened closely to his narrative for two reasons. One, I have a photograph of the tree in my collection dating back to the years 1880-1920, with which I wanted to compare to the present one. The second more obvious reason was the fact that standing under the tree near the spot where, according to legend, the Buddha was enlightened was an awe-inspiring experience by itself.

A rare specimen

Observing my renewed interest, the guide rattled off a string of information: the Buddha was enlightened in 528 BC under the

peepal or Bodhi tree as it is now known. In 262 BC, Emperor Ashoka sent his daughter Sanghamitta to Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka with saplings of this Bodhi, which till date is being regenerated. It is considered to be the oldest specimen of a tree that has been regenerated for over 2,000 years.

Bodhi tree -1900 in Chennai

In 254 BC, Tissarakkha, Ashoka’s queen, destroyed the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, as she did not favour Ashoka embracing Buddhism. A second tree grew from the roots of the first. It was eventually destroyed several times due to storms and invaders. Each time it was destroyed, a new tree was planted in its place, not necessarily regenerated.

After the decline of the Mauryan empire around 180 BC, the temple and the tree were neglected and covered under mounds of sand. Between 1862-1878, Alexander Cunningham, who had excavated the Nalanda ruins and several other Buddhist stupas in Bihar, excavated the Mahabodhi Temple. He then discovered a much-decayed Bodhi tree, which had been completely destroyed in a storm in 1876. Cunningham planted a new Bodhi tree in 1881.

But the original Bodhi tree continues to flourish. Back in Chennai, at the Theosophical Society in Adyar, I met 88-year-old G Sundari, who has lived here for the past 80 years and is now part of its history and folklore. Sundari accompanied me to the Bodhi tree, and in a flawless and clear narrative recalled that Jinarajadasa, the fourth president of the Theosophical Society, had planted a sapling brought from the Bodhi tree from Anuradhapura, and planted it near the Buddhist temple at the Theosophical Society on December 24, 1950.

Buddhist temple with pond-Theosophical society Photo: D Krishnan

The Bodhi tree at Theosophical Society is reportedly a direct descendent of the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha was enlightened. S Ramkumar, the general manager of the Theosophical Society, said that the Bodhi tree withstood the Vardah cyclone, when more than 100 trees in the campus were destroyed. The society is making additional efforts, taking inputs and care to protect and preserve this historic tree in its premises.

Sundari added that a statue of the Buddha was found in a pond, and Olcott, the first president of the society and a Buddhist, built the temple.

It was rather ironic that I had to travel nearly 2,000 kilometres to learn about something that is a stone’s throw away from my house.