New Delhi. A special plantation program was organised at Buddha Jayanti Park situated in central rij of Delhi. In this program, one thousand trees of Amaltas had been planted in the park. This whole program was successfully completed under the supervision of the President of Buddha Jayanti Park and environmentalist Neeraj Gupta. This particular area of Rij is rocky where the growth of plants and trees is very difficult. Although the high temperature and tough geographical conditions of this area don’t provide ample and suitable conditions for plants to grow whereas Amaltas has shown remarkable growth here. It’s interesting to know that in 1962 this park was established on the occasion of Gautam Buddha’s completion of twenty-five hundred years.
At that time the Japanese government also funded this park. At present the maintenance of this park is under CPWD. Famous for its beautiful landscapes and greenery this park also plays a vital role in keeping Delhi pollution free. Almost a decade back this park was in very bad shape due to negligence, but with Neeraj Gupta’s interference and efforts and with the help of CPWD this park has regained its lush green beauty. The main attraction of this park is the ‘Bal Bodhi Tree’, which holds historical importance. It is the sibling of the ‘Shri Mahabodhi Tree’ in Sri Lanka, which was taken to Sri Lanka by the daughter of King Ashoka Sanghmitra twenty-three hundred years ago.
The same tree was brought to India in 1964 by the president of Sri Lanka and was planted here in the presence of our prime minister Late Lal Bahadur Shastri. It is the original sapling of the ‘maha bodhi tree’, under which Gautam Buddha attained moksha. Sayings of Mahatma Buddha have been established in written form in the park so that visitors can benefit from them along with the fresh air.