"The daughter tree that outlived the mother, sheltering pilgrims for twenty-three centuries"
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi
Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
A cutting from the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment was brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE. The original tree at Bodh Gaya was destroyed multiple times over the centuries. This one survived. For 2,300 years, pilgrims have venerated this living descendant of the tree that sheltered the Buddha at the moment of awakening. It is the oldest historically documented human-planted tree in the world, and when the tree at Bodh Gaya needed replanting, a cutting from this tree was sent back to India—the daughter giving life to the mother.
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Quick Facts
Location
Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
Tradition
Site Type
Year Built
236 BC
Coordinates
8.3448, 80.3972
Last Updated
Jan 7, 2026
Learn More
A cutting from the original Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya was brought to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitta Theri in the 3rd century BCE. King Devanampiya Tissa planted it in Anuradhapura, where it has been continuously venerated for over 2,300 years. When the original tree in India was destroyed, this tree survived. A cutting from this tree was later sent back to replant Bodh Gaya—the daughter giving life to the mother.
Origin Story
Around 250 BCE, Emperor Ashoka sent his son Mahinda to bring Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Mahinda converted King Devanampiya Tissa, and the king's court followed. But the king's daughter, Anula, asked for the ordination of women—and for that, a bhikkhuni (fully ordained nun) was needed. Ashoka sent his daughter Sanghamitta, who carried with her a cutting from the southern branch of the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya.
The cutting arrived with great ceremony. King Devanampiya Tissa received it personally and planted it in the Mahamewna Gardens in Anuradhapura. According to the Mahavamsa, the great chronicle of Sri Lanka, the tree took root immediately and grew with miraculous vigor. It has been continuously tended ever since.
Shortly after the cutting was taken, the original Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya was destroyed by Queen Tissarakkhā, who was jealous of the king's devotion to it. Though the tree at Bodh Gaya was replanted multiple times from surviving saplings, it was destroyed again and again—by hostile rulers, by storms, by time. The Sri Lankan tree never faltered. And when the tree at Bodh Gaya needed restoration in the 19th century, a cutting was sent from Anuradhapura to India. The daughter gave life to the mother. The circle closed.
Key Figures
Sanghamitta Theri
Bearer of the sacred cutting
King Devanampiya Tissa
Planter of the tree
Emperor Ashoka
Patron and sender of Buddhism to Sri Lanka
Spiritual Lineage
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is the senior living link to the Buddha's enlightenment. While the tree at Bodh Gaya is revered as the site of enlightenment, that tree is a fourth-generation descendant of the original. The Sri Maha Bodhi is direct—the southern branch of the original tree, carried across the sea by Sanghamitta. It is one of the Atamasthana (Eight Sacred Places) of Anuradhapura, alongside the great stupas Ruwanwelisaya, Thuparamaya, Jetavanaramaya, Abhayagiri, Mirisawetiya, Lankaramaya, and the Lovamahapaya. These eight sites together form the core of Buddhist pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. UNESCO's 1982 inscription of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura recognized the site's exceptional cultural and religious significance.
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