How old is Sri Maha Bodhi?

The Sri Maha Bodhi was planted in 288 BCE — making it the oldest continuously documented tree on Earth at 2,300+ years. It's a sapling of the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India. It's still actively worshipped; expect pilgrim queues at full moon poya days.

Sri Maha Bodhi: visiting the world's oldest documented tree

The oldest living thing with a documented history

The Sri Maha Bodhi is a sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) in Anuradhapura that has been continuously recorded in historical sources for 2,314 years — making it the oldest documented living tree on Earth, by a margin of several centuries over any other candidate.

The historical record is specific: it was planted in 288 BCE (during the 3rd year of King Devanampiya Tissa’s reign), grown from a cutting brought from the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, under which the historical Buddha attained enlightenment in the 5th century BCE. The cutting was brought by Sanghamitta, daughter of Emperor Ashoka, who arrived in Sri Lanka specifically for this purpose.

The original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya was later cut down by the Brahmin queen Tissaraksha (204 BCE). The Sri Maha Bodhi is therefore the only surviving tree that is a direct descendant of the tree under which the Buddha sat. This gives it a unique religious significance for Theravada Buddhists worldwide — not a symbol, but a physical connection to the founding moment of Buddhism.

At a glance	Details
Where	Anuradhapura’s sacred zone, a short walk or tuk-tuk ride from Ruwanwelisaya dagoba
Entry fee	Separate nominal fee (around LKR 200-300 for foreigners), on top of the main Archaeological Area ticket
Time needed	30-45 minutes for a respectful visit; longer at dawn or on a poya day
Getting there	Around 3.5-4 hours by car/tuk-tuk from Colombo, or roughly 1-1.5 hours from Habarana/Sigiriya
Best time to go	Early morning (6-8am), before pilgrim groups and midday heat build up

The tree today

The Sri Maha Bodhi stands on a raised platform (Maluwa) surrounded by gold-painted iron railings and multiple tiers of platforms. The tree itself is supported by iron props on its major branches — it is old, and the structure has been maintained by successive generations over 23 centuries.

As sacred fig trees age, they develop aerial roots that grow downward from branches and eventually form subsidiary trunks. The Sri Maha Bodhi now appears as a cluster of trunks and branches rather than a single tree — the botanical form of a very old Ficus religiosa.

The leaves flutter noticeably even in calm air — a characteristic of Ficus religiosa leaves (which have elongated tips designed to channel water during monsoon downpours). In the Buddhist tradition, this constant gentle movement of the Bodhi tree’s leaves is interpreted as a form of blessing.

The puja at Sri Maha Bodhi

The Sri Maha Bodhi is an active place of worship, not a museum exhibit. Puja offerings are made continuously throughout the day by Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims.

The offering protocol: devotees purchase flower trays at the stalls outside the compound (a tray of white flowers, lotus buds, and jasmine for LKR 100-200), remove their shoes at the compound gate, wash their hands at the water fountain, and proceed to the inner railing to place flowers in the offering trays and fold their hands in worship.

Photography rules: you can photograph the tree from the outer areas. Photography inside the inner compound (within the golden railing) is restricted on poya days and during peak pilgrimage hours. Wardens will indicate if you’re in a restricted zone.

Poya days: on the monthly Buddhist full moon (poya), thousands of white-clad Sri Lankan pilgrims converge on Sri Maha Bodhi. The queue to approach the inner railing can take 1-2 hours on the most significant poya days (especially Vesak in May and Poson in June). The atmosphere is extraordinary but the crowd management is not always smooth — come early or come after 3pm.

The history: 2,300 years of continuous care

The Sri Maha Bodhi’s survival over 23 centuries is itself a remarkable story. It has survived:

The destruction of Anuradhapura’s political power (10th century CE, when the capital moved to Polonnaruwa and later Kandy)
Portuguese colonial period (1505-1640), during which many Buddhist sites were damaged or destroyed
Dutch period (1640-1796)
British colonial period (1796-1948), during which Anuradhapura was rediscovered and the ancient city restored
The 2022 economic crisis (when fuel shortages threatened the irrigation needed to maintain the ancient tanks that feed the region’s agriculture)

Throughout all of this, the Sri Maha Bodhi was continuously tended by a hereditary family of custodians (the Upalata family lineage). The same family maintains the tree today, as they have for generations beyond documented memory.

The iron props supporting the branches were installed during British archaeological administration in the 19th century — one of the few clearly beneficial British interventions in Sri Lankan cultural heritage management.

Bodhi trees across Sri Lanka

The Sri Maha Bodhi spawned its own lineage. Cuttings from the Sri Maha Bodhi were used to plant bodhi trees at every significant Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka — which is why almost every temple in the country has a sacred fig tree in its compound. These secondary trees are all technically descendants of the original Bodh Gaya tree.

Cuttings from the Sri Maha Bodhi have also been sent to restore the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya itself (the original was destroyed; the current Bodh Gaya tree is a descendant of the Sri Lanka cutting), and to Buddhist temples in Thailand, Japan, and Myanmar.

Poya days: what changes if you visit on a full moon

Not every poya day at Sri Maha Bodhi feels the same, and timing your visit around the calendar (deliberately toward it, or deliberately away from it) makes a real difference to the experience.

Poya / period	Significance	Crowd level at Sri Maha Bodhi
Vesak (May)	Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing — the most important date in the Buddhist calendar	Extremely high; queues of 1-2 hours to reach the inner railing
Poson (June)	Marks the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka via nearby Mihintale	Very high, especially in the Anuradhapura-Mihintale area
Other monthly poya days	Standard full-moon observance	Moderate to high; still noticeably busier than a non-poya day
Non-poya weekday mornings	No special observance	Low; the quietest, most contemplative time to visit

If your priority is a quiet, reflective visit, avoid poya days entirely and come on a weekday morning instead. If your priority is witnessing Sri Lanka’s living Buddhist culture at its most intense, a poya day — ideally Vesak or Poson — is unmatched, but budget extra time for queuing and expect the surrounding town and transport to be busier too. See our guide to attending a poya day as a visitor for etiquette specifics before you go.

Combining Sri Maha Bodhi with the rest of the sacred city

Sri Maha Bodhi is one stop within a much larger sacred zone, and almost nobody visits it in isolation. The three great dagobas, Isurumuniya, and the monastery ruins are all within the same general area, and the sacred zone’s 40 km² footprint means a tuk-tuk (rather than walking) is the realistic way to link them together. Our Anuradhapura sacred city walking itinerary lays out a sensible order for a full day that starts or ends at the Bodhi tree.

Half-day guided cycling tour of Anuradhapura’s ancient city

If you’re deciding how much time to give the wider Cultural Triangle, our Polonnaruwa vs Anuradhapura comparison and Cultural Triangle 3-day itinerary both help with pacing, and the Anuradhapura destination guide covers where to stay and eat nearby. For the religious context behind what you’re seeing, our introduction to Buddhism in Sri Lanka is a useful primer before or after the visit.

Visiting logistics

Opening hours: the Sri Maha Bodhi compound is open from before dawn to around 10pm.

Entry fee: a nominal entrance fee (LKR 200-300 for foreigners; check current rates) is separate from the main Archaeological Area ticket. Sri Lankan citizens enter free.

Location: in the main sacred zone of Anuradhapura, a 10-minute walk (or very short tuk-tuk) from Ruwanwelisaya dagoba.

Best time: 6-8am (morning puja, before large pilgrim groups; the light through the tree is beautiful in the early morning).

Dress: full coverage — shoulders and knees, no hats inside the compound.

Guided Anuradhapura day tour including Sri Maha Bodhi Anuradhapura tuk-tuk tour visiting all main sacred sites

For the full Anuradhapura itinerary, see our Anuradhapura sacred city guide.

FAQ

Can non-Buddhists visit Sri Maha Bodhi?

Yes — the compound is open to all visitors, not just worshippers. Non-Buddhist visitors are welcome to observe respectfully from the outer areas; you don’t need to make an offering to visit, but you do need to follow the same dress code and behavior expected of any pilgrim (shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, quiet voice near the inner railing).

Is Sri Maha Bodhi worth visiting if I’ve already seen the three dagobas?

Yes, and for a different reason. The dagobas are about scale and architecture; Sri Maha Bodhi is about a continuous, unbroken act of devotion — the same tree, tended and worshipped without interruption for over two thousand years. It’s a shorter stop than any of the dagobas but arguably the most emotionally distinct one in the sacred zone, especially at dawn.

Our honest verdict

Worth it for: anyone visiting Anuradhapura, and especially travelers interested in Buddhism as a living practice rather than pure archaeology. The combination of genuine antiquity and active daily worship is unique among Sri Lanka’s ancient sites.

Skip if: you’re on a very tight single stop in the Cultural Triangle and have to choose one site only — in that case Sigiriya or the Polonnaruwa vs Anuradhapura comparison may better fit a rushed itinerary. Sri Maha Bodhi rewards visitors who can give the wider sacred city at least half a day.

Book ahead?: not for the tree itself — there’s no reservation or timed entry. If you’re visiting during Vesak or Poson, book accommodation in Anuradhapura or Habarana well ahead, since the town fills up around these dates.

Mistakes to avoid

Treating it as a five-minute photo stop — the value here is in slowing down; budget at least 30 minutes to observe the puja ritual rather than rushing through.
Visiting at midday on a poya day expecting a quiet experience — queues can run 1-2 hours at peak times; come at dawn or well after 3pm instead, or avoid poya days if you want calm over atmosphere.
Wearing shorts, sleeveless tops, or a hat inside the compound — this is an active place of worship, not a ruin; full shoulder-and-knee coverage and bare heads are expected.
Assuming your Cultural Triangle or Archaeological Area ticket covers photography or offerings inside the railing — restrictions on photography apply separately during poya days and peak hours, regardless of what your entry ticket covers.
Skipping the rest of the sacred zone because you only planned for the tree — Sri Maha Bodhi pairs naturally with the three dagobas and Isurumuniya; see the Anuradhapura sacred city walking itinerary to plan the full day rather than just this one stop.