A Bodhi Tree situated on a hillock in Salmatpur in Madhya Pradesh costs the state government over ₹ 12 lakh a year to keep it alive.
A peepal tree in Madhya Pradesg is India’s first ‘VVIP tree’, which is situated five kilometres away from the Sanchi Buddhist complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, between Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal and Vidisha town.
The MP government has been spending lakhs on guarding and watering the tree, which has grown quite big now from just a sapling. The people who keep an eye on the tree – four Home Guards – stay on site round the clock.
The peepal tree was planted by former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who brought the “holy” sapling from his country.
This ‘VVIP tree’ enjoys a dedicated water tank, and a botanist from the Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Department visits every week to check its health.
Four guards have been deputed to look after the tree’s for security and water supply. The entire hill has been allocated to the Buddhist University. The whole area is being developed as a Buddhist circuit.
