and various types of soils. In Paraguay the tree species occurs in forests at lower elevations, and in China the species has been reported growing at altitudes ranging from . In India, being a native species, it occurs both naturally in wild as well as cultivated up to altitudes of . Climate Ficus religiosa is tolerant to widely varying climatic conditions such as Tropical rainforest climate where the region receives more than of precipitation per month, Tropical monsoon climate where average precipitation ranges from in the driest month to , Tropical savanna climate with dry summer where average precipitation ranges from per month in summers to per month in winters, Warm temperate climate, wet all year where average temperature ranges from and it is wet all year, as well as Warm temperate climate with dry summer where average temperature ranges from and summers are dry. Invasiveness Unlike most epiphytic jungle figs, which ring the stems of dicotyledonous support trees from the outside, the epiphytic bushes of F. religiosa are not true stranglers. Their roots penetrate inside the stem of the support, eventually splitting it from within. Ficus religiosa has been listed as an "environmental weed" or "naturalised weed" by the Global Compendium of Weeds (Randall, 2012). It has been assigned an invasiveness high risk score of 7 in a risk assessment prepared for the species' invasiveness in Hawaii by PIER. Such a high score predicts it will become a major pest in suitable climate zones. The major reasons for its invasive behaviour are its fast-growing nature, tolerance to various climate zones and soil types, reported lifespan of over 3,000 years, and its suffocating growth habit as it often begins life as an epiphyte. In heritage The earliest known record of Ficus religiosa in human culture is the use of peepal leaf motifs in the pottery of the Helmand culture, found at Mundigak site, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, dating back to third millennium BCE. The peepal tree is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, "I am the Peepal tree among the trees, Narada among the Deva Rishi (Divine sages), Bhrigu among the Saptha-Maharishis, Chitraratha among the Gandharvas, And sage Kapila among the Siddhas." In India, the medal for the highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, is modelled on the leaf of a Peepal tree. Buddhism Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment (bodhi) while meditating underneath