Your base for exploring this tourist attraction is the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. For tourist information about Anuradhapura, go to Anuradhapura Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to Sri Lanka, read also the Sri Lanka Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation? Use AsiaExplorers Search & Compare Engine, to find suitable hotel room for your stay in Sri Lanka.
The Sri Maha Bodhi Tree is said to be the oldest planted tree in the world, and located in the most crowded place in all of Anuradhapura. Not to mention, according to Buddhist pilgrims, the most sacred. That is because within the temple is the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, the oldest known tree in the world. The Sri Maha Bodhi has been planted and looked after continuously for the last 2300 years, even when Anuradhapura was under Tamil occupation.
It was under a bodhi tree that Buddha attained enlightenment in 528BC. The Sri Maha Bodhi of Anuradhapura is grown from a cutting from this original Bodhi tree. This makes it the most sacred tree in Sri Lanka. Seedlings from this tree have been planted in temples throughout Sri Lanka and around the Buddhist world. It is forbidden for a Buddhist to cut or harm any part of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree.
Today a frame of iron crutches prop up the Sri Maha Bodhi, which nevertheless looks deceivingly young and rather unimpressive. Golden railings provided further protection, and visitors are strictly regulated. Still, the throng coming to view the tree was simply overwhelming.
Every full moon of Poson, which is around May-June, a million worshippers come to celebrate around the tree in commemoration of the Enlightenment.
Finding Accommodation in Anuradhapura
If you're going to Anuradhapura, you now have the option of finding accommodation in a hotel, or look for one in hostels and guesthouses. To book a room in a star-rated hotel, use the Anuradhapura Hotel Guide for Budget Travelers. To find accommodation in a Hostel or Guesthouse, use the Anuradhapura Guide to Hostels and Guesthouses. Each link provides detailed listing of the type of accommodation you can expect in Anuradhapura. Be aware that you get what you pay for. If you need a certain degree of comfort, then a star-rated hotel may be an ideal option for you. On the other hand, if you are able to forego a bit of creature comfort, then hostels and guesthouses are clean, safe, and incredibly good value for money. For accommodation in other destinations, visit Hotel Guide for Budget Travelers or Hostels & Guesthouses Accommodation Guide.
Pilgrims entering the compound of the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura.
