“This tree was grown from a cutting of the very fig the Buddha sat under, and at over 2,300 years old it is the oldest human-planted tree on Earth with a known planting date.”
About Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi
A sapling from the sacred Bodhi tree of Bodh Gaya was carried to Sri Lanka by the Buddhist nun Sanghamitta and planted at Anuradhapura in 288 BC, during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa. Guardians have protected and tended it continuously ever since. Because the original Indian tree was later destroyed, the Anuradhapura tree is revered as a direct descendant and surviving link to the Buddha.
What Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi actually is
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura is a sacred fig tree that is among the most venerated objects in the Buddhist world, grown from a cutting of the very tree under which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Planted in the 3rd century BC, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a recorded planting date.
Planted in the 3rd century BC, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a recorded planting date.
A Cutting of the Buddha's Tree
According to history and the chronicles, a branch of the original Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya in India was brought to Sri Lanka by the nun Sanghamitta, daughter of the Indian emperor Ashoka, and planted at Anuradhapura in 288 BC. Tended without interruption for over two thousand three hundred years by a lineage of guardians, the tree has survived as a direct living link to the Buddha himself, since the original tree in India was later destroyed and regrown.
The Experience
You join white-clad pilgrims at terraces and golden railings surrounding the ancient tree, its branches supported by gilded props, set on a raised platform reached by steps. Offerings of flowers, lamps and prayer flags fill the sacred enclosure. The sense of continuity, of worship unbroken for more than two millennia at this one living thing, gives the place a profound atmosphere.
Why It Matters
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is one of the holiest sites in Buddhism and a powerful symbol of Sri Lanka's role in preserving the faith. As the oldest documented planted tree in the world and a direct link to the Buddha's enlightenment, it draws pilgrims from across the Buddhist world.
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is one of the holiest sites in Buddhism and a powerful symbol of Sri Lanka's role in preserving the faith.
Why Visit
One of Buddhism's holiest objects, a sacred fig grown from a cutting of the Buddha's own tree and the oldest human-planted tree on Earth with a known date.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Dress modestly and go barefoot within the sacred enclosure.
- 2
It is one stop in the wider sacred city of Anuradhapura.
- 3
Visit at dawn or dusk for cooler air and peak devotion.
