What to know before you go.
Researched by Sarisara, with sources.
Inside the Mahamewna Gardens in Anuradhapura stands a tree Buddhists believe is more than 2,300 years old — the oldest tree in the world that anyone planted on a known date. According to the old chronicles, in the 3rd century BC the Buddhist nun Sangamitta carried a cutting from the very tree the Buddha sat under when he became enlightened, in Bodh Gaya, India. King Devanampiyatissa planted that cutting here, on a raised stone terrace, and it has been cared for and worshipped every day since.
The tree sits on the highest of five terraces, with four lower terraces around it holding its own “children” trees, called Parivara Bodhi. A gold railing protects the trunk, and some branches are held up by gold-plated iron supports so the tree’s own weight does not break them. You cannot walk up onto the top terrace — it is closed off, to protect the tree from damage and from the crowds — but you can stand below and watch pilgrims, many dressed in white, offering flowers, lighting oil lamps and praying quietly.
The whole site forms part of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of Sri Lanka’s eight most sacred Buddhist places (the Atamasthana). Most visitors spend thirty minutes to an hour here, walking the shaded paths under the Parivara Bodhi trees before or after seeing the two huge white stupas nearby. It is busiest, and most moving, during Poson Poya in June, when Anuradhapura fills with pilgrims marking the day Buddhism first came to Sri Lanka.
Entrance tickets are not included in Sarisara prices. Please pay them in cash at the gate.
Ticket price not confirmed — please check at the gate.
The tree shrine has its own small ticket for foreign visitors, separate from the Anuradhapura ticket. Sources do not agree on the price (LKR 200 or LKR 500), so your guide confirms it before the day. It is paid in cash at the gate and is not included in your Sarisara price.
Cover your shoulders and knees, and take off your shoes before stepping onto any of the stone terraces.
Not dressed for the temple? This is an active, working shrine, not a museum, and the dress rule is expected to be followed at the gate. It is best to arrive already dressed correctly; this research did not confirm whether a wrap or sarong can be borrowed or bought on site, so do not rely on that.
Hours are reported consistently by independent travel sources, but this round of research did not find them confirmed on an official government page — please have your guide confirm before a very early or very late visit.
The Chief High Priest (Mahanayaka) of the Atamasthana and the Atamasthana Palakasabha (the temple's custodian committee); the wider Sacred City of Anuradhapura is conserved by Sri Lanka's Central Cultural Fund Official website
Mahamewna Gardens, Anuradhapura Sacred City, Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka
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Fire dancers light the road before the elephants of the Esala Perahera.
