Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi

Sanghamitta, the daughter of Emperor Ashoka, brought a branch of the original Bodhi tree from Bodh Gaya to Sri Lanka and planted it in the city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. That Bodhi tree is still actual and is the oldest constantly documented tree in the world.

Bodhi tree, also called Bo tree, according to Buddhist tradition, is the specific sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) under which the Buddha sat when he attained Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India.

Ficus religiosa, or sacred fig, is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry relative.

 It is a religious emblem in Buddhism for several reasons, representing the place of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, the mythical world tree, growth toward liberation, etc.

 It is the closest authentic living link to Gautama Buddha and the oldest human-planted tree in the world with known planting dates and recorded history. 

He pointed out that it was an honor to receive a bud of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi as a gift.

Anuradhapura is the central city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, and the capital of the Anuradhapura District.

According to the Mahavamsa, the Sri Maha Bodhi in Sri Lanka was buried in 288 BC, creating it the oldest proven specimen of any angiosperm.

In 254 BC, Tissarakkha, Ashoka’s queen, destroyed the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, as she did not favor Ashoka embracing Buddhism.

Bodhi, in Buddhism, is the final Enlightenment, which puts an end to the cycle of transmigration and leads to Nirvāṇa, or spiritual release; the experience is comparable to the Satori of Zen Buddhism in Japan.

The tree under which Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment, such a miracle happened after being destroyed twice | NewsTrack English.

The Bodhi tree grew from the original banyan tree under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment. It stands behind the Mahabodhi temple. In 2002, UNESCO declared the Mahabodhi temple a World Heritage Site. Sources in Bodh Gaya said plant scientist AK Singh had suggested some corrective measures after examining the tree.

One day, sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, Siddhartha absorbed deeply in meditating and deliberated on his life experience, determined to enter its truth. He eventually achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha.

Anuradhapura is worth a visit. It is an excellent stupa of the beautiful experience.