Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi

The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a sacred Bo tree (Ficus religiosa) located in the Mahamewuna Garden, within the historic UNESCO World Heritage City of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is believed to be a tree grown from a cutting of the southern branch from the historical sacred bo tree, the Bodhi tree, which was destroyed during the time of Emperor Ashoka, at Bodh Gaya in India, under which Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) is believed to have attained enlightenment.

[1] At more than 2,300 years old, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. The Mahāvaṃsa, or the great chronicle of the Sinhalese, provides an elaborate account of the establishment of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi on the Island and the subsequent development of the site as a major Buddhist pilgrimage site. 5 meters above the ground, and surrounded by 4 other lower-level terraces with Bo trees called "Parivara Bodhi" planted for its protect