Anuradhapura
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Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree
April 7, 2025: The Indian Express
What is the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree?
This Bo (Ficus religiosa, Pipal in Hindi) tree is believed to have grown from a branch of the tree in Bodhgaya (in present-day Bihar) under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment. The branch was carried to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitta (or Sanghamitra), the Mauryan king Ashoka’s daughter and Buddhist nun.
Her arrival in Sri Lanka with the tree is still celebrated as Uduvapa Poya, an annual festival observed on a full moon night in December.
The tree, along with the other Buddhist shrines in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, is a major pilgrimage centre for Buddhists.
Anuradhapura is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “Anuradhapura, a Ceylonese political and religious capital that flourished for 1,300 years, was abandoned after an invasion in 993 CE. Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the splendid site, with its palaces, monasteries and monuments, is now accessible once again,” the UNESCO website says. The invasion in 993 CE was by the Chola empire of south India.
Why did Sanghamitta travel to Sri Lanka?
On the invitation of the king, and the suggestion of her brother, Mahendra or Mahinda.
During the reign of Ashoka, the Third Buddhist Council is believed to have met, where it was decided to send missionaries to different regions to propagate Buddhism. Missions left for Gandhara, Kashmir, south India, some Greek kingdoms, and Sri Lanka.
The very successful mission to Sri Lanka was led by prince Mahendra, or Mahinda, Ashoka’s son. Mahinda met King Devanampiya Tissa, whose capital was Anuradhapura, and converted him to Buddhism. After a number of royal ladies also wished to join the Buddhist monastic order, Mahinda sent for his sister, Sanghamitta, to come and initiate them.
Both Mahinda and Sanghamitta lived in Anuradhapura for the rest of their lives.
How has the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree survived for so long?
Through dedicated care and the fact that the Pipal tree can regrow from its roots and seeds.
The tree has not been immune to attacks — in 1929, a man tried to chop it off in an act of vandalism, while in 1985, LTTE militants went on a rampage in Anuradhapura, gunning down 146 people in the vicinity of the tree.
And what about the Mahabodhi tree in Gaya?
While the original tree under which Lord Buddha meditated was destroyed (in some legends, by one of Ashoka’s wives, Tishyarakshita), the existing Pipal tree at the site is believed to have descended from the germplasm (genetic material) of that original tree.
