Sri Maha Bodhi, Anuradhapura

 

Sri Maha Bodhi, Anuradhapura

The Sri Maha Bodhi is a sacred tree located in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is a southern offshoot of the historical Bodhi tree that the Buddha grew when he attained enlightenment. It was planted in 288 BC. It is the oldest known tree in the world to have been planted by humans and at a known date.

History

 

The Bodhi tree planted at the Maha Bodhi Temple. This Bodhi tree is a sprout of the original Bodhi tree.

This Sri Maha Bodhi is a southern branch of the Maha Bodhi in Bodh Gaya, India, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. In the 3rd century BCE, this Bodhi was brought to the present-day Sanghamitta Thotupala in Madagali, Yapa Patuna, Sri Lanka, by the nun Sanghamitta, daughter of Emperor Ashoka. She was the pioneer in establishing the Sri Lankan Bhikkhunī Order. This Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi was erected in the Maha Mevna Garden of Anuradhapura in 249 BCE by King Devanampiyatissa.

Golden Fence

The Sri Maha Bodhi is erected on a platform-like ground about 6.5 metres (21.3 ft) above the average ground level. It is surrounded by a fence. It is a sacred object of worship for Buddhists in Sri Lanka and around the world today. This wall (as seen today) was built during the reign of King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe. This was done to protect it from wild elephants.

Religious and social significance

Buddhists in the island have come from far and wide to worship the sacred Bodhi tree since time immemorial. Buddhists believe that offering prayers to the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree will bring significant and positive changes in their lives and bring blessings. Many Buddhists vow to make a special offering to the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree in the future, praying for healing from illness, having children, passing exams, and achieving success in various goals such as employment. It is also a long-standing tradition among the farmers of Anuradhapura to offer their first paddy harvest of the year to the Sri Maha Bodhi tree. The festival is called "New Rice Festival". They strongly believe that this offering reduces the damage caused to crops by elephants and wild animals, pests and drought, and leads to sustainable rice production. Many people can be seen coming to the Bodhi tree seeking their worldly and spiritual prosperity. The Sri Maha Bodhi tree shines with sacredness as a tree that provided shade for the Buddha's enlightenment. Even today, the Bodhi tree is worshipped by many people and also holds a cultural heritage.

Contributions

 Several ancient kings have contributed to the development of this religious site. King Vasabha (65 AD - 107 AD) placed four Buddha statues on the four sides of the sacred tree. King Voharika Tissa (214 AD - 236 AD) installed a metal statue. King Mahanaga (569 AD - 571 AD) built a water channel around the sacred tree, and King Sena II (846 AD - 866 AD) renovated it.

The present wall was built by Venerable Illuppandeniye Attadassi Thero during the reign of King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe to protect the tree from damage caused by wild elephants. The wall is 10 feet (3.0 m) high and 5 feet (1.5 m) wide. Its length from north to south is 388 feet (118.3 m) and from east to west is 274 feet (83.5 m).

The first golden fence around the sacred tree was built by Buddhist followers in 1969 under the guidance of Yatiravana Narada Thero during the Kandy period. The metal fence below the above golden fence was built by the people of Gonagala under the guidance of Yagirala Pannyananda Thero.

Ancient structures and ruins

Two statues of the Buddha can be seen in the Pratimaghara. The statue of Selmuwa is on the right side of the stone wall. The Naga Muruga Stone, which is designed as a snake protruding from the outside, is a very rare type of sculpture seen here. Also, several stone pillars with tam heads with simple carvings can be seen here and they are made of a single black stone.

New Discoveries

 

The ruins of an ancient building called Mayura Pirivena (Mayura Asapuwa) have been discovered southwest of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, and the ruins of a stupa called Dakkhina Thupa (Southern Asapuwa) have been found south of Sri Maha Bodhi.

According to ancient Sri Lankan chronicles, the ramparts and stone walls surrounding the Sri Maha Bodhi were constructed at various times in the past. The Mahavamsa records that King Gotabhaya (262 - 249 AD) built a wall. The Vana Deepawansa records that King Keerthi Sri Meghavarna (330 - 302 AD) built a stone-paved terrace and lattice wall.

Excavations to reconstruct the current wall have uncovered the lattice walls built by King Keerthi Sri Meghavarna, the foundations of the wall designed by King Gotabhaya, and the rubble wall including the stone-paved terrace.

Incidents

Two branches of this sacred tree fell separately during storms in 1907 and 1911. Another branch was cut down in 1929. In 1985, Tamil Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (TLT) separatists shot and killed a number of Sinhala-Buddhists at this sacred site.

Other

•  Buddhist

            Sources          

• Kulathunga, Mahavarya T. G. (2003). "1". Anuradhapura Atamasthan. Maharagama. pp. 8–9. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• "Oldest Non-Human-Planted Tree". Guinness World Records official website. 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
• http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110220/Plus/plus_12.html