Akshayavat or Akshay Vat ("the indestructible banyan tree") is a sacred fig

Sacred Fig

The Sacred Fig, Ficus religiosa, or Bo-Tree , Peepal is a species of banyan fig native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, southwest China and Indochina...

 tree mentioned in the Hindu mythology

Hindu mythology

Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...

.

According to a legend, once the sage Markandeya

Markandeya

Markandeya is an ancient rishi from the Hindu tradition, born in the clan of Bhrigu Rishi. He is celebrated as a devotee of both Shiva and Vishnu and is mentioned in a number of stories from the Puranas...

 asked Lord Narayana

Narayana

Narayana or Narayan or Naraina is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...

 to show him a specimen of the divine power. Narayana flooded the entire world for a moment, during which only the Akshayavat could be seen above the water level.

Akshayavat of Prayag

A sacred fig tree located within the Patalpuri Temple at the Allahabad Fort

Allahabad Fort

right|300px|thumb|Allahabad FortAllahabad Fort at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India was built by Emperor Akbar in 1583. The fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna near the site of confluence with the river Ganges. It is the largest fort built by Akbar...

 is worshipped as the Akshayavat by some Hindus. , a permission from the Commandant of Allahabad Fort's Ordinance Depot is needed to visit this tree. On one day during the Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges river.The normal Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 3 years, the Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, the Purna Kumbh takes place every twelve years, at four places Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain,...

, the site is open to all the pilgrims.

According to the local belief, the sage Shukdeva narrated Srimad Bhagavatam to the king Parikshit under this tree.

In The Encyclopaedia Asiatica (1976), Edward Balfour identifies a banyan tree mentioned in Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

 with this tree at Prayag, Allahabad. Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

, Lakshmana

Lakshmana

Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...

 and Sita

SITA

SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...

 are said to have rested beneath this tree.

The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hieun Tsang mentions a tree (a stump with few branches) which was said to be the home of a man-eating demon. As part of a custom, some pilgrims would offer themselves at the nearby temple. Tsang mentions that the tree was surrounded with the human bones. General Cunnigham identifies this tree with the Akshayavat.

Rishabha (Jain tirthankar)

Rishabha (Jain tirthankar)

In Jainism, R̥ṣabha or Ādinātha , also known as the "Lord of Kesariya") was the first of the 24 Tīrthaṅkaras. According to Jain beliefs, R̥ṣabha founded the Ikshvaku dynasty and was the first Tīrthaṅkara of the present age...

 is also said to have practised tapasya beneath the historical Akshayavata at Prayag.

Other places

A tree at Gaya, Bihar and another tree at Varanasi

Varanasi

-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

 are also worshipped as the Akshayavat. The Bodhi tree

Bodhi tree

The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo , was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree located in Bodh Gaya , under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi...

 is said to be a manifestation of the Akashayavat at Prayag.

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Buddha

Buddha

In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...

 is said to have planted a seed of the Prayag's Akshayavat next to Mount Kailash

Mount Kailash

Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...

on a mountain known as the Palace of the Medicine Buddha.