Ficus religiosa or
sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to
Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the
bodhi tree,
pippala tree,
peepul tree,
peepal tree or
ashwattha tree. The sacred fig is considered to have a religious significance in three major religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hindu and Jain ascetics consider the tree to be sacred and often meditate under them and this is the tree under which Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment in Srilanka. Sacred fig is designated as the state tree of the Indian state of Odisha.