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34-401: City walls and old fortifications mark the boundary of the rectangular town area, measuring 300-700 metres wide and 2,200 metres long. Wat Phra Kaeo (วัดพระแก้ว) is a large royal temple in town centre near a site believed to have been a palace. The temple itself was used on important city events and had no monks in residence. Major features include the principal chedi with lion-adorned base and

68-752: A bai sema are described in Thailand as being body parts: "neck", "shoulders", "chest", "hips" and "stomach". During the Ayutthaya kingdom and the following Rattanakosin era , bai sema would sometimes be decorated with eyes (photo 2) and princely crowns (photo 3). The Thammayut order, which was founded by Prince Mongkut (the later King Rama IV) in 1833, developed a three-dimensional form of bai sema (photo 4). Bodhi tree 24°41′45.29″N 84°59′29.29″E  /  24.6959139°N 84.9914694°E  / 24.6959139; 84.9914694 The Bodhi Tree ("tree of awakening" or "tree of enlightenment" ), also called

102-617: A great monastery was attached to the Bodhimanda called the Bodhimanda Vihara. Among those present at the foundation Kattika the Mahā Thūpa are mentioned thirty thousand monks from the Bodhimanda Vihara, led by Cittagutta. In the 7th century CE, Chinese traveler Xuanzang wrote of the tree in detail. Every time the tree was destroyed, a new tree was planted in the same place. In 1862 British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham wrote of

136-399: A round chedi with elephant-adorned base. There are also other Chedis of different bases and remains of several chapels. Its boundary is marked off by laterite walls. Second in size to Wat Phra Kaeo is Wat Phra That (วัดพระธาตุ). Here the principal Chedi is built of mixture of laterite and bricks with a 15-metre wide square base. The style is of Kamphaeng Phet architecture. Sa Mon (สระมน)

170-454: Is believed to have been constructed during both the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods. With laterite walls, it has a square-shaped principal chedi with arches on four sides. In front of the ubosot are ornamental lion and Naga figurines. Wat Chang Rop (also "Rob") (วัดช้างรอบ) is a large temple situated on a high hill. Its main chedi of Ceylonese style is in the middle of the yard but its top part

204-445: Is broken down. The base is adorned with 68 half-elephants between which are Bhoti-shaped designs. There are also traces of demon and female dancers’ figures remaining. Sema stone Bai sema ( Thai : ใบเสมา , pronounced [bāj sěː.māː] ) are boundary stones which designate the sacred area for a phra ubosot (ordination hall) within a Thai Buddhist temple ( wat ); otherwise called sema hin ( เสมาหิน ). It

238-689: Is continuously growing to this day in the island's ancient capital, Anuradhapura . This Bodhi tree was originally named Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi . According to the Mahavamsa, the Sri Maha Bodhi in Sri Lanka was planted in 288 BCE, making it the oldest verified specimen of any angiosperm . In this year (the twelfth year of King Asoka 's reign) the right branch of the Bodhi tree was brought by Sanghamittā to Anurādhapura and placed by Devānāmpiyatissa his left foot in

272-476: Is holy to Navayana Buddhism as this is the place where Dr. B. R. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with 600,000 followers on 14 October 1956, Dhammachakra Pravartan Din . The sapling of the Sacred Bodhi tree from Anuradhapura Sri Lanka was planted on 15 May 2011, at Wisdom Park 14 Broadway Avenue, New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines by D. M. Jayaratne , Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and Mariano S. Yupitun,

306-692: Is no longer living, but the term "bodhi tree" is also applied to existing sacred fig trees . The foremost example of an existing tree is the Mahabodhi Tree growing at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya , which is often cited as a direct descendant of the original tree. This tree, planted around 250 BCE, is a frequent destination for pilgrims , being the most important of the four main Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Other holy bodhi trees with great significance in

340-510: Is said that in the ancient Buddhist texts in order that people might make their offerings in the name of the Buddha when he was away on pilgrimage, the Buddha sanctioned the planting of a seed from the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya in front of the gateway of Jetavana Monastery near Sravasti . For this purpose Moggallana took a fruit from the tree as it dropped from its stalk before it reached the ground. It

374-412: Is supported by a large laterite column. The entire column was cut out in one single piece from its source and measures 1.1 m on each side and 6.4 m in height, the largest such stone in the country. A lion sculpture and Sema stones (boundary stones) can still be discerned. The large vihan which once housed the reclining Buddha has crumbled entirely. Wat Phra Si Iriyabot (วัดพระสี่อิริยาบถ) is located to

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408-423: Is the site of the palace to the north of Wat Phra Kaeo with a square earthen wall almost touching the northern city wall. Surrounding the walls on three sides are moats with a pond in the middle. There are no standing structures remaining today. Wat Phra Non (วัดพระนอน) is enclosed by laterite walls on four sides. At the front of the temple are a square-shaped pond, restrooms, and an ancient floating pavilion which

442-574: Is written in the Vinaya Pitaka that the Baddhasima (the area in which the monks perform the Sanghakamma or Buddhist sacred ceremonies) must be able to accommodate 21 seated monks, with a space the length of a forearm between each monk. The area should also not be larger than three yojana which is about 48 kilometres (30 mi). This is probably meant to mean the maximum circumference. In other words,

476-426: The Baddhasima should not be too small, nor too big. It is also written that the Baddhasima can be marked by the following Nimitta (border markers): hills, rock formations, forests, trees, ant hills, streets, rivers and other waters such as the sea or a pond. The type of Nimitta that is mainly used in Thailand is a stone. The oldest stone bai sema in Thailand were found in northeast Thailand ( Isan ) and are from

510-470: The Dvaravati period (6th - 9th century CE). Before work starts on a new phra ubosot , nine holes are dug: eight at the cardinal points , the ninth beneath where the principal Buddha statue will be placed. Luk nimit ( Thai : ลูกนิมิต ), round stones the size of a cannonball, are placed in to these holes during a religious ceremony. Eight Sema stones are then placed over those Luk Nimit which are situated at

544-528: The Mahabodhi Tree or Bo Tree , is a large sacred fig tree ( Ficus religiosa ) located in Bodh Gaya , Bihar , India . Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha , is said to have attained enlightenment or buddhahood circa 500 BCE under this tree. In religious iconography , the Bodhi Tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. The original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama sat

578-517: The Bodhi tree on the grounds of the Trấn Quốc pagoda . In 2012, Brahmanda Pratap Barua, Ripon, Dhaka, Bangladesh, took a sapling of Bodhi tree from Buddha Gaya, Maha Bodhi to Thousand Oaks, California , where he presented it to his benefactor, Anagarika Glenn Hughes, who had funded much Buddhist work and teaches Buddhism in the US. He and his students received the sapling with a great thanks, later they planted

612-848: The Busshinji temple, the head temple of Sōtō in Latin America, in São Paulo , and another in the Soto Temple Daissenji, in Florianópolis . Following is a list of the various Mahabodhi trees under which all of the Buddhas known to Theravada Buddhism attained buddhahood . On 8 December, Bodhi Day celebrates Buddha's enlightenment underneath the Bodhi Tree. Those who follow the Dharma greet each other by saying, "Budu saranai!" which translates to "may

646-456: The Mahāmeghavana. The Buddha, on his death bed, had resolved five things, one being that the branch which should be taken to Ceylon should detach itself. From Gayā, the branch was taken to Pātaliputta , thence to Tāmalittī , where it was placed in a ship and taken to Jambukola, across the sea; finally it arrived at Anuradhapura , staying on the way at Tivakka . Those who assisted the king at

680-646: The Sri Maha Bodhi to plant two saplings in Chennai , one was planted near the Buddha temple at the Theosophical Society another at the riverside of Adyar Estuary. The third was planted near a meditation center in Sri Lanka. To Trấn Quốc, Hanoi, Vietnam In 1959, to mark the visit of the first President of India, Shri Rajendra Prasad, a cutting of the original tree in Bodh Gaya was gifted and presently it stands as

714-605: The State Reorganisation Act of 1935 adopted the Bo tree symbol in the state emblem, following a recommendation to that effect being forwarded to the Royal Society. Bodhi Puja, meaning "the veneration of Bodhi-tree" is the ritual to worship the Bodhi tree and the deity residing on it (Pali: rukkhadevata; Sanskrit; vrikshadevata). It is done by giving various offerings such as food, water, milk, lamps, incense, etc. and chanting

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748-493: The cardinal points. Double (or even triple) bai sema signify that the phra ubosot has been rebuilt, or consecrated for use by more than one monastic order, or that the temple has a Royal connection (photo 1). The Thai words bai sema mean "Sema leaves" due to the shape of the flat Sema stones being somewhat akin to the shape of the leaves of the Bodhi tree , the tree under which the Buddha achieved enlightenment (photo 1). Parts of

782-568: The ceremony of the planting of the Tree were the nobles of Kājaragāma and of Candanagāma and of Tivakka. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is also known to be the most sacred Bodhi tree. This came upon the Buddhists who performed rites and rituals near the Bodhi tree. The Bodhi tree was known to cause rain and heal the ill. When an individual became ill, one of his or her relatives would visit the Bodhi tree to water it seven times for seven days and to vow on behalf of

816-569: The founder of Universal Wisdom Foundation Inc. A sapling of the Sacred Bodhi tree from Anuradhapura Sri Lanka was planted in April 2008 at Kurilpa Point, the site of the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), by the artist Lee Mingwei , as the centerpiece to his 'Bhodi Tree Project' which is described as an ambitious living artwork. There are two descendants in Brazil . One in

850-785: The history of Buddhism are the Anandabodhi Tree at Jetavana in Sravasti in North India and the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura , Sri Lanka . Both are also believed to have been propagated from the original Bodhi Tree. The Forest Research Institute of India assists in the upkeep of the tree since 2007. Cloning has been considered in 2008. Its sacred leaves can also be bought by pilgrims as mementos. Religious offerings, which would draw insects, were shifted to some distance from

884-408: The north of Wat Phra Non and have similar pond and bathroom facilities as its neighbour. Walls on the four sides are of laterite materials with an entrance also made of laterite. A mondop structure houses Buddha statues in four postures-walking, sitting, standing and reclining in the Sukhothai artistic style. Today only the statue in the standing posture still remains. Wat Phra Sing (วัดพระสิงห์)

918-568: The peace of the Buddha be yours." It is also generally seen as a religious holiday, much like Christmas in the Christian west, in which special meals are served, especially cookies shaped like hearts (referencing the heart-shaped leaves of the Bodhi) and a meal of kheer , the Buddha's first meal ending his six-year asceticism . The Bo tree is the main part of the Bihar State emblem . During British rule,

952-440: The present Pipal is standing on a terrace at least 30 feet above the level of the surrounding country. It was in full vigour in 1811, when seen by Dr. Buchanan (Hamilton) , who describes it as in all probability not exceeding 100 years of age. However, the tree decayed further and in 1876 the remaining tree was destroyed in a storm. Cunningham says the young scion of the parent tree was already in existence to take its place. It

986-402: The sapling in the ground in a nearby park. In 1989, the government of India presented Nihon-ji with a sapling from the Bodhi Tree as a gesture of world peace. This Bodhi Tree was planted at Deekshabhoomi from three branches of the Bodhi Tree at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan brought these branches from Sri Lanka as a memorial of Buddha's enlightenment. This site

1020-638: The sick for a speedy recovery. In 1913, Anagarika Dharmapala took a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi to Hawaii , where he presented it to his benefactor, Mary E. Foster , who had funded much Buddhist missionary work. She planted it in the grounds of her house in Honolulu , by the Nuʻuanu stream. On her death, she left her house and its grounds to the people of Honolulu, and it became the Foster Botanical Garden . In 1950, Jinarajadasa took three saplings of

1054-516: The site as the first entry in the first volume of the Archaeological Survey of India : The celebrated Bodhi tree still exists, but is very much decayed; one large stem, with three branches to the westward, is still green, but the other branches are barkless and rotten. The green branch perhaps belongs to some younger tree, as there are numerous stems of apparently different trees clustered together. The tree must have been renewed frequently, as

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1088-402: The tree. The Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi Temple is called the Sri Maha Bodhi. Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment ( bodhi ) while meditating underneath a Ficus religiosa . According to Buddhist texts , the Buddha meditated without moving from his seat for seven weeks (49 days) under this tree. A shrine called Animisalocana cetiya, was later erected on the spot where he sat. The spot

1122-484: Was planted in a golden jar by Anathapindika with great pomp and ceremony. A sapling immediately sprouted forth, fifty cubits high, and in order to consecrate it, the Buddha spent one night under it, rapt in meditation. This tree, because it was planted under the direction of Ananda , came to be known as the Ananda Bodhi. King Asoka's daughter, Sanghamitta , brought a piece of the tree with her to Sri Lanka where it

1156-492: Was used as a shrine even in the lifetime of the Buddha. Emperor Ashoka the Great was most diligent in paying homage to the Bodhi tree, and held a festival every year in its honour in the month of Kattika . His queen, Tissarakkhā , was jealous of the Tree, and three years after she became queen (i.e., in the nineteenth year of Asoka's reign), she cursed the tree to be killed by means of mandu thorns. The tree, however, grew again, and

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