A long branch of the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya, under which Siddharth Gautam achieved enlightenment to become the Buddha, has recently received the support of steel poles to keep it from collapsing.

Scientists from the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute (FRI), who found that the branch needed a prop, decided on steel poles.

“The Bodhi Tree is very healthy and free from infections or bugs. The FRI is responsible for checking and maintaining its condition. However, one of its branches needed support to sustain it. It has been provided. A kind of chemical coating has also been applied to the tree to keep it well,” Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) member-secretary Mahashweta Maharathi told The Telegraph.

A two-member FRI team visited Bodh Gaya earlier this week for a regular medical check-up of the holy tree located near the Mahabodhi Temple and noted that it was healthy. Its leaves were big and lustrous, while the trunk and branches were strong.

However, one branch needed support.

"Hence poles were erected to support the longer branch," FRI scientist Santan Barthwal, who led the team, told this newspaper. “We provided regular treatment to the tree. Its branches were trimmed in a few places. We also applied the Chaubatia paste, which is like a wound dressing for branches that were trimmed. It stops fungus, insects and rots in the branches that are cut and exposed," he added.

The Bodhi Tree is a peepal tree (Ficus religiosa) and Barthwal pointed out that though it was "not suffering from any problem”, it had to be kept safe from insects, fungus, rot, pathological diseases and other forms of damage.

The FRI has been assisting with the upkeep of the holy tree since 2007 when it was detected with multiple stresses and mealybug infestation.

Leaves falling from the tree are considered sacred and collected as mementos by devotees from all over the world.