A first look
Approach Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura as a living place, not a stamp in a passport. The stone keeps older stories; the courtyard keeps today’s feet.
Sacred tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in 2020.
A wall Painting the Aluth Vihara Ge or the New Image House at Kelaniya Temple, Sri Lanka. Sangamitta Maha Theri bringing the sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi to Sri Lanka. Wall painting by Solias Mendis. The murals are those of the 18th century and the early 20th century.
A Photo taken from the Lower Compound, Pahatha Maluwa.
History and meaning
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a sacred Bo tree located in the Mahamewuna Garden, within the historic UNESCO World Heritage City of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. In 236 BC, according to Sri Lankan tradition, the Buddhist nun Sangamitta, a daughter of Ashoka, brought the tree cutting to Sri Lanka during the reign of Sinhalese King Devanampiya Tissa.[1] At more than 2,300 years old, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.
Being there
It is believed to be a tree grown from a cutting of the southern branch from the historical sacred bo tree, the Bodhi tree, which was destroyed during the time of Emperor Ashoka, at Bodh Gaya in India, under which Siddhartha Gautama is believed to have attained enlightenment. The Mahāvaṃsa, or the great chronicle of the Sinhalese, provides an elaborate account of the establishment of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi on the Island and the subsequent development of the site as a major Buddhist pilgrimage site. Listed stays nearby appear on the Anuradhapura hub when hosts publish. If a house is not on SoloRoost, we do not invent it.
Practical notes
- Shoulders and knees covered at shrines; shoes off where the stone asks. Photography rules change at the inner rooms — watch for signs.
- Tickets, if any, are sold on site. We do not publish a price that will be wrong next season.
- For a walking commentary — names, layers of history, and what to look at as you go — download StoryPGT from ervanta.com.
Walk it with a voice guide
For a fuller tour — history, what to notice as you walk, and a guide in your ear — download StoryPGT, Ervanta’s voice book guide. Download StoryPGT. Install the app, then open this place when you are on the ground.