Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi / Sacred Bo Tree

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the sacred bo tree is believed to be developed from a cutting of the southern branch of the bo tree, Sri Maha Bodhi, which was destroyed during the reign of King Ashoka, at Buddha Gaya in India, under which Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) attained Illumination.

Table of Contents

• What is the sacred bo tree?
• What is Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi?
• Where is jaya Sri Maha Bodhi?
• The arrival of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Sri Lanka
• Anuradhapura
• Sanghamitta

What is the sacred bo tree?

Ficus religiosa or sacred fig is a type of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that has a place with Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also called the bodhi tree, pimple tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pPpala tree, Ashvattha tree, or Asathu in Sinhala. The sacred fig is considered to have importance in three major religions that started on the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hindu and Jain monks believe the species to be holy and frequently meditate under it. A tree of these species under which Gautama Buddha is believed to have accomplished enlightenment. The sacred fig is the state tree of the Indian provinces of Odisha, Bihar and Haryana.

What is Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi?

The Bodhi Tree also called the Mahabodhi Tree, or Bo Tree, is an enormous sacred fig tree situated in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual leader who became known as the Buddha, is said to have achieved enlightenment or Buddhahood around 500 BCE under this tree. In strict iconography, the Bodhi Tree is unmistakable by its hearts.

Where is jaya Sri Maha Bodhi?

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a sacred historical bo tree (Ficus religiosa) in the Mahamewuna Garden in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This sacred tree is believed to be developed from a cutting of the southern branch of the bo tree, Sri Maha Bodhi, which was destroyed during the reign of King Ashoka, at Buddha Gaya in India, under which Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) attained Illumination.

The arrival of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Sri Lanka

The Buddhist nun Sangamitta, the daughter of Indian Ruler Ashoka, 288 BC, brought the tree sapling to Sri Lanka then the Sri Lankan King was King Devanampiya Tissa. At over 2,300 years of age, Sri Maha bodhi is the oldest living human-planted and documented tree on the planet with a known planting date.

The Mahavamsa, or the great chronicle, gives an intricate record of the foundation of the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi on the Island and the resulting improvement of the site as a significant Buddhist journey site.

Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi is planted on an elevated terrace, around 6.5 meters above the surrounding area, and accompanied by 4 other bo trees planted at a lower elevation and they are called “Parivara Bodhi” planted for their insurance. The historical site with bo trees under the purview of the chief incumbent of Atamasthana and the  Atamasthana Palakasabha, the authoritative body of the Atamasthana, gets a large number of devotees every year.

The historical site is open to devotees and constantly hosts various religious activities with the participation of devotees. However, access to the highest patio where the bo tree is found is confined only to selected dignitaries, because of the old age of the tree and many destructive efforts carried out by some individuals in the past, including a terrorist attack by LTTE in 1985, where around 146 people were slaughtered.

The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a holy Bo tree, that stands in the Mahamewna garden in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. In addition to the fact that it is the nearest legitimate living tree with a connection to Gautama Buddha, it is likewise the oldest human-planted tree on the planet with a well-documented date and a written history.

2600 years back, the Buddha attained enlightenment, during the process Buddha sat with his back against an Esathu (Aśvattha) tree on the banks of the Neranjana river in Bodhgaya, India. It was at that time he sat against the tree, and Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. In doing as such, the tree likewise acquired a worshipped status. It earned the sacred status and became the sacred Bo tree, and devotees visited the tree even during the lifetime of the Buddha.

After 236 BC, King Asoka sent the Buddhist nun Sanghamitta from India to Sri Lanka. With her, she brought a southern part of the first branch of the tree, under which Buddha attained enlightenment. This branch was ceremoniously presented to Devanampiya Tissa, one of the earliest Kings of Sri Lanka, whose rule was prominent in the development of Buddhism. In 288 BC, Tissa established part of the Bodhi tree in his Royal Park in Anuradhapura.

The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, as it became known, has since been really focused on and safeguarded by Buddhist priests and dedicated Kings. Over the years, Buddhists have made numerous vows and offerings at the base of the holy tree and built sculptures, water trenches, brilliant fences, and walls around it.

On a few occasions, the tree has confronted serious dangers, and not just from wild elephants. Two storms in 1907 and 1911 brought about broken branches. A vandal tried to destroy the tree in 1929, chopping off another branch. In 1985, Tamil Tiger separatists raged the site and slaughtered 146 Sinhalese-Buddhists on the upper patio.

Buddhists on the Island have had an act of visiting and giving proper respect to the Sri Maha Bodhi. It is a yearly custom for Buddhists around the island even from away towns to visit the city of Anuradhapura and to give due respect to the Sri Maha Bodhi. The guardian of this sacred site gives different contributions consistently.

The Buddhists, in general, believe that religious observances and offering carried out at Sri maha bodhi deliver critical and positive changes in their day-to-day life. It has likewise been standard for some Buddhists to commit to promises before the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi for the safe delivery of their children without deformities and for the overwhelming majority of different fixes.

likewise, it is been a practice for a long time among the people who practice agriculture in Anuradhapura to offer the first part of their rice harvest to the Sri Maha Bodhi tree every year. They strongly believe that such offerings lead to an improved harvest in the coming years with minimal crop damage from the dry season as well as pest attacks, including wild elephant attacks.

The sapling of Sri Maha Bodhi was brought to the island In the third century BC, by Sangamitta Theri (Pali; Skt.: Sanghamitra), the daughter of King Asoka and founder of Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka. Devanampiya Tissa, the Sri Lanak King at the time, planted it in 288 BC on an elevated platform in Anuradhapura’s Mahamevnwa Park that is about 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) above the ground and has railings all around it.

Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura is an important city situated in the north-central province of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Central Region and the capital of the Anuradhapura Area. The city lies 205 kilometres (127 mi) north of the capital of Colombo in the North Central Province, on the banks of the ancient Malwathu Oya. The city is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sanghamitta

Saṅghamittā was an Indian Buddhist nun and the oldest daughter of King Ashoka and his first wife, Devi. Along with her brother Mahinda, she became a nun. The two siblings later came to Sri Lanka to spread the lessons of Buddha in line with King Devanampiya Tissa who was a contemporary of Ashoka. Ashoka was at first hesitant to send his daughter on an abroad mission. Be that as it may, on account of the demand of Sangamitra herself, he at last concurred. She was shipped off to Sri Lanka along with a few different nuns to begin the religious recluse genealogy of Bhikkhunis in line with Ruler Tissa to appoint sovereign Anulā and different ladies of Tissa’s court at Anuradhapura who wanted to be appointed as nuns after Mahindra switched them over completely to Buddhism.