Sri Maha Bodhi

+  
The Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The site where it's on, Sacred City of Anuradhapura, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

It is said to be a tree grown from a sapling from the famous Bodhi tree where the first Buddha became enlightened. It brought down by Mihindu (Mahinda) and Sanghamitta. It was planted in 288 BC. It is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. 

It was planted on a high terrace about  above the ground. It is surrounded by railings to protect it. It is one of the most sacred objects of the Buddhists in Sri Lanka, and respected by Buddhists all over the world. 

Its wall was built during the reign of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha, to protect it from wild elephants which might have attacked the tree.

History

In the 3rd century BC, the Buddha's fig tree was brought to Sri Lanka by Sangamitta, daughter of Emperor Asoka and founder of an order of Buddhist nuns, in Sri Lanka.

In 280 BC, Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi was planted in the Mahamevnāwa Park in Anuradhapura by King Devanampiya Tissa.

Related pages
 Bodhi tree

 References 

Other websites
Living Heritage - Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi  

Category:Buddhism
Category:World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka