[10 Most Magnificent Trees in the World]3. Banyan Tree: Sri Maha Bodhi Tree

 

Banyan Tree Sri Maha Bodhi Tree

 

Closer view of the Banyan aerial root structure

 

Banyan tree (or is it silk-cotton tree?) in the ruins of Ta Prohm, Ankor, Cambodia

 

One of the most famous species of Banyan, called the Sacred Fig [wiki] or Bo tree, is the Sri Maha Bodhi [wiki] tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said that the tree was grown from a cutting from the original tree under which Buddha became enlightened in the 6th century BC.

Planted in 288 BC, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world, with a definitive planting date!