Bodhighara in Sri Lanka Bodhighara (Sinhala: බෝධිඝර) (lit: Bodhi-tree shrine) is a type of Buddhist structure in Sri Lanka built around the sacred Bo tree ( Ficus religiosa ) in Vihara and monasteries. The Sri Lankan Bodhigharas of the Anuradhapura Period are considered the only extant examples so far discovered in the entire Buddhist world, of the hypothetical Bodhi-tree shrines referred to in ancient literature and depicted in the earliest Buddhist relief sculpture in India ( Bandaranayake, 1990 ). History The Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in India, seated on a stone seat ( Vajrasana or Asana ) under a Bo tree. Thereafter, both the Bo tree (or Bodhi tree) and Asana became objects of worship of Buddhists, not only in India but also in other Buddhist countries in the region including Sri Lanka (Karunaratne, 1998). Soon after the introduction of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Sangamitta Theri, the daughter of Emperor Asoka (c.268-232 B.C.) and
sister of Arhat Mahinda Thera, brought the Southern Branch of the S…
