Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Buddha became enlightened. It was planted in 288 BC, and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.
It was planted on a high terrace about 6.5 m (21.3 ft) above the ground and surrounded by railings, and today it is one of the most sacred relics of the Buddhists in Sri Lanka and respected by Buddhists all over the world. This wall was constructed during the reign of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha, to protect it from the wildelephants which might have damaged the tree.
The tree is said to be the southern branch of Sri Maha Bodhi at Boddha Gaya in India under which Buddha attained Enlightenment.
In the 3rd century BC, the Buddha's fig tree was brought to Sri Lanka by the Thera Sangamitta (Pali; Skt.: Sanghamitra), daughter of Emperor Asoka and founder of an order of Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka.
In 249 BC, Siri Maha Bodhi was planted in the Mahameghavana Park in Anuradhapura by King Devanampiyatissa.
On May 14, 1985, Tamil Tigers gunned down nuns, monks and civilians as they prayed inside the Buddhist shrine.
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