From the time it sheltered Siddhartha and saw him emerge as the Buddha, the Tree of Enlightenment has always had people journeying from distant lands with their prayers, hopes and offerings. But the Mahabodhi, the centrepiece of the UNESCO world heritage site in Bodhgaya, is now gasping for breath, done in by the offerings of these very worshippers and a management which has shown extreme reluctance to take firm steps and save the tree.