Sri Maha Bodhi, Anuradhapura
Mahaviharaya, Bomaluwa Temple, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.,
Anuradhapura
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Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to be the southern branch from the historical Bodhi tree Sri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya in India under which Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment. It was planted in 288 BC, and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. Today it is one of the most sacred relics of the Buddhists in Sri Lanka and respected by Buddhists all over the world.The other fig trees that surround the sacred tree protect it from storms and animals such as monkeys, bats, etc.HistoryIn the 3rd century BC, it was brought to Sri Lanka by Sangamitta (Pali; Skt.: Sanghamitra) Thera, the daughter of Emperor Asoka and founder of an order of Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka. In 288 BC it was planted by King Devanampiya Tissa on a high terrace about above the ground in the MahamevnÄwa Park in Anuradhapura and surrounded by railings.
