Sri Maha Bodiya

Last updated on 22 Jun 2023Show location

According to recorded data, this sacred tree was erected in the historic Maha Megha Vana Royal Park in Anuradhapura in the month of "Unduvap" (December), 236 BC. By the orders of Arahant Mihindu Maha Thero, Arahant Sangha Mitta Maha Theree ceremonially carried the sacred Bodhi sapling here. In the Maha Megha Vana Royal Park, which is devoted to the revered bhikkhus, King Devanampiyatissa of Sri Lanka planted this Bodhi tree with great ceremony. The Anuradhapura Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is 2,247 years old at this time.

As a result, the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi of Anuradhapura is the oldest tree in the world with a recorded history. The Sanskrit, Pali, and Sinhala names for this tree's family are "asvastha," "asvattha," and "aesatu," respectively. For its religious importance, botanists gave it the name "ficus religiosa". The greatest individual to have ever lived on earth, according to legend, was Lord Gautama Buddha. Sitting with his back against it beneath the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India, he reached Samma Sambodhi, enlightenment.

The second most unique factor is that the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi of Anuradhapura is the southern branch of that revered Bodhi tree. The original Bodhi tree in India was felled within a short time after the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi sapling was brought to Sri Lanka by Queen Thishyarakkha, an imperial consort of Emperor Dharmashoka who practiced a different religion. Conflict and natural disasters twice destroyed the saplings that sprang from its roots. Currently living in Bodhgaya is a fourth-generation Bodhi tree. The southern branch of the original Bodhi tree, however, is what is still present in Anuradhapura, where the Gautama Buddha used to sit with his back against the tree. As a result, the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree of Anuradhapura is the only holy object in the entire world that can be compared to the living Buddha. It has been blessed by the Lord Buddha and was the subject of his reverence for an entire week during the "Animisa Lochana Pooja." This place is unique in allowing everyone to view and worship this extremely sacred Bodhi without any barriers.