For those expatriates who are fortunate enough to stay in the white & black colonial houses in the Alexandra area adjoining to Hort Park, this is one heritage tree that you need to put on your bucket list.
Buddhist believe that 2500 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, entered the state of nirvana ‘ bodhi’ in the shade of a fig tree in Maghada. This species of fig, the pipal, is known as the bodhi tree or tree of enlightenment; in Latin, Ficus Religiosa.
Hindus believe that the Pipal tree is the abode of Gods. Planted wherever there are temples or wayside resting places, it is easy to recognize because of its heart shaped leaves with their distinctively elongated drip tip. It is a tree native to central and eastern India, but since it has the ability to grow either on its own trunk or as a strangling fig, it has spread widely throughout South East Asia.
It is also commonly found even on the cornices and drains of city buildings. When grown as a planted tree, the trunk is about 4 to 6 meter high, breaking up into a many branched and rather untidy crown.
This magnificent Bodhi Fig tree is hidden quietly away in the scenic winding road of Canterbury on our little red dot and has been the photoshoot favourites for many wedding couples. It has been designated a heritage tree and certainly well worth preserving for our future generations to admire. We were certainly in awe when we first saw it and had our own fun photoshoot moment with it.
If you are a tree lover, take a drive or do a run or walk down this scenic road and keep an eye out for it.
Happy Tree Spotting.
