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Statement of Significance

The site of Brisbane City Botanic Gardens was selected as a public garden in 1828 by New South Wales Colonial Botanist Charles Fraser three years after the establishment of the European settlement. Originally the garden was planted with food crops to feed the convicts. In 1855, a portion of the land was declared a 'botanic reserve' and Walter Hill was appointed as curator. The Queensland Heritage Register describes the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens as 'the most significant, non-aboriginal cultural landscape in Queensland having a continuous horticultural history since 1828, without any significant loss of land area or change in use over time.' It incorporates Brisbane's most mature gardens and features many rare and unusual species of plants.
This tree was planted in the early 1880s and is reputed to have been struck using a cutting taken from an ancient sacred tree in Sri Lanka. It was blessed by the Dalai Lama on his visit in 1983, after he attended the planting of a cutting from this tree at the University of Queensland to commemorate his visit. This plant is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, and hence the name 'Sacred Fig' was given to it.
The tree has genetic value as it is believed to have been grown from a cutting from an ancient sacred tree in Sri Lanka. Cuttings from it have been used therefore to propagate new trees. It is a large and outstanding example of its species. It makes an important contribution to the Garden's landscape through its remarkable canopy width and is important to the landscape, particularly as it is in a prominent place inside the main gates to the Gardens. It is associated with the Dalai Lama who blessed the tree in 1983 and also with the community's Hindus and Buddhists who can occasionally be seen conducting religious ceremonies beneath the tree. It is a beautiful tree that has one of the largest canopies in the Gardens.
As the visitor walks through the Alice Street entrance to the Gardens, the Bodhi Tree can be seen to the left of the path.