Kalutara Bodhiya

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                                    Kalutara Bodhiya is a sacred tree worshipped by Buddhists. It is located in Kalutara, Western Province of Sri Lanka. 

Together with this sacred Bo tree, there is a Buddhist temple called "Kalutara Viharaya" and a modern Stupa called "Kalutara Chaitya". This temple is one of the most venerated religious places in Sri Lanka. Hundreds of Buddhist people and also tourists visit here daily. 

People believe that this tree is one of the 32 saplings of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. According to ancient chronicle Sinhala Bodhiwamsa, those saplings were planted in different parts of the country as instructed by Arahant Mahinda Thera. 

However, it is said that the Buddhist public of Sri Lanka started to consider this place as a sacred place after Wickrema Pandya who was a Pandyan prince planted a Bo tree at the Pahala Maluwa of Kaluthara Bodhi premises in 1042 AD.

Later, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English, who colonized Sri Lanka used Kalutara Bodhi premises for administrative and military purposes due to the strategic importance of its location.During the 19th century, the British government started to construct railroads in Sri Lanka. 

When planning to build the Kalutara railroad & the railway bridge, they decided to remove this Bo tree as it was obstructing the initial plans. But, because of the protests made by the Buddhist public, the English government decided to construct the bridge without harming the Bo tree. Since then, the sacred Bo tree is still in the Kaluthara temple majestically without any harm.


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