Few Indians, whether or not from botany background, will be unable to recognize the Peepal tree, that flushes a unique pink of new-born leaves each spring. Its uniquely shaped leaves – and indeed the entire tree – have vibrant and positive socio-cultural connotations. The tree is considered sacred in both Hinduism and Buddhism. While Lord Krishna declares himself as the Aśhvatthaḥ (Peepal) tree in the Bhagwat Gita (BG 10.26), Siddharth became Buddha after 49 days of meditation under this massive tree with heart-shaped leaves. The Jain religion also holds the Peepal tree dear.
The Sacred Fig tree is an ecological wonder. It is among those species that can tolerate a wide range of temperature, rainfall, altitude and soil types. That is to say, it can be found all over India, from the Himalayas to the coastal belts – even in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and can grow even in the cracks of rocks and buildings.

The fig trees have had interesting association with the wasps. Ficus religiosa is no different. Blastophaga quadriceps, the sacred fig wasp, is its pollinator. As is common with other fig wasps, the pregnant female wasp enters the inwardly blooming fig flowers (called synconium) via a natural pore and lays her eggs inside the flower ovaries. In this process, she also pollinates some of the flowers. As the fig ripens, the wasp eggs also hatch and form larvae. Soon the adult male wasps dig tunnels out of the galls and roam the synconium in search of their female counterparts – who are fertilized while still trapped inside. Their job done, the male wasps dig an escape route for their pregnant females and die within the fig. By the time the pregnant females emerge, the male fig flowers have matured. She carries a load of pollen from this sacred fig inflorescence where she had been born and impregnated to another peepal tree, to repeat the whole cycle.