Akshayavata (Sanskrit:अक्षयवट,romanized: Akṣayavaṭa,lit. 'undecaying banyan'), also renderedAkshayavat, is a sacredbanyan tree mentioned in theHindu mythology and inJainism. It is also the name of a sacred lake mentioned in thePuranas.[1][2]
ThePadma Purana states that those who venerate the Akshayavata with devotion are freed from sins.[3]
The Akshayavata is mentioned as a holy site of Gaya in the Mahabharata.[4]
According to legend, once, the sageMarkandeya askedNarayana to show him a taste of his divine power. Narayana caused apralaya, flooding the entire world for a moment, during which only the Akshayavata could be seen above the water level.[5]
According to regional tradition, the emperorJahangir cut the Akshayavata to its roots and hammered a red-hot iron cauldron on its stump so that it would not grow again. However, within a year, the tree began to grow again.[6]
According toJain scriptures, it is the place whereRishabhanatha, the firstTirthankara of the current time cycle, attainedomniscience after a 1000-year long penance. Omniscience inJainism is considered to be an eternal and universal knowledge that never fades. Hence, the tree was also popularly known as 'Akṣayavata'.[7]
The place where this tree is situated (inPrayagraj) is of great significance to Jains and aŚvetāmbara Jain shrine housing Rishabhanatha's footprints was also built there. Originally, sandalwood footprints of Rishabhanatha were placed beneath the tree, which were later replaced with stone replicas following theft.[8] Other significant events associated to the place where this tree is situated: -
A tree inPrayagraj has been described as Akshayavata in thePrayag Mahatmya of theMatsya Purana.[10]
InThe Encyclopaedia Asiatica (1976), Edward Balfour identifies a banyan tree mentioned inRamayana with the tree at Prayag.[11]Rama,Lakshmana, andSita are said to have rested beneath this tree.[12] The Chinese Buddhist pilgrimXuanzang mentions a tree (a stump with few branches[11]) which was said to be the home of a man-eating demon. As part of a custom, some pilgrims would offer themselves at the nearby temple. Xuanzang mentions that the tree was surrounded by human bones.Alexander Cunningham identified this tree with the Akshayavata at Prayag.[12]Rishabha (Jain tirthankar) is also said to have practisedtapasya beneath the historical Akshayavata at Prayag.
Currently, a sacred fig tree located within the Patalpuri Temple at theAllahabad Fort is worshipped as the Akshayavata described in ancient texts. As of 2011[update], a permission from the Commandant of Prayagraj Fort's Ordnance Depot is needed to visit this tree. On one day during theKumbh Mela, the site is open to all the pilgrims. However, a popular opinion is that the Patalpuri Temple tree is not the authentic Akshayavata: the real Akshayavata is in another underground temple inside the Fort. When the British gained control of the Allahabad Fort after theTreaty of Prayagraj in 1765, they did not want general public to access the sensitive parts of the fort. So, the shrine was moved to the fringes of the fort compound, that is, the present-day Patalpuri Temple.[10] According to the Welsh travel writerFanny Parkes, who visited both the tree sites in 1831, when the original Akshayavata chamber was closed, the local Brahmins set up the stump of aber tree in Patalpuri. They claimed that it was a branch of the original Akshayavata that had penetrated through the walls. Parkes states that the local Hindus of Prayag knew about this and did not worship the false Akshayavata.[13] An 18th-century map of the Fort from theBritish Library confirms this: the location of the original temple is shown in the center of the fort; while the present-day Patalpuri Temple is on the outskirts of the Fort. In the 1950s,Shiva Nath Katju also claimed that the "tree" placed in the Patalpuri Temple was only a log that was replaced by the priests every 4–5 years. The commander of the fort acknowledged his claim as true.[10]
A tree atGaya, Bihar[11][14] and another tree atVaranasi are also worshipped as the Akshayavata. TheBodhi tree is said to be a manifestation of the Akashayavat at Prayag.[15]
According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition,Buddha is said to have planted a seed of the Prayag's Akshayavata next toMount Kailash on a mountain known as the Palace of the Medicine Buddha.[15]