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Title	Sri Mahā Bodhi shrine; Makara torana
Photographer	de Silva, Preethi
Built by	King Devānampiya Tissa (r. 250-210 BCE) in 249 B.C.E. and many other kings through the 12th c.C.E.
Subject	Shrines (structures)
Site Location	Mahāvihāra (The "great" monastery): Sri Mahā Bodhi
City/Region	Anurādhapura
Country	Sri Lanka
Year Established	In 3rd c. BCE and later.
Description	The Sri Mahā Bodhi Tree, a sacred fig tree, is located at what was known in the reign of King Devānampiya Tissa as the Mahāmeghavana Park. The original tree grew from a branch of the tree under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment, which was brought to Sri Lanka by the nun, Therī Sanghamittā, the daughter of the great Indian Buddhist Emperor Aśoka, whose son, the monk Mahinda (Mihindu) Thera, earlier had preached to the reigning king Tissa (later named Devānampiya Tissa) at Mihintalé near Anuradhapura and convinced him to become a follower of the Buddhist doctrine. This is a makara torana (of unknown date) at the northern entrance to the inner courtyard of the enclosure of the sacred Bodhi-tree shrine. Figures in niches include at the top, a monk with a bowl and below him several guardian figures. The lower of the two friezes between them and the lowest two niches include repeated rows of the four animals also found on moonstones.
Notes	Prior to modern resorations, the site was modified or restore by numerous kings thorugh then 12th c.CE.
Publisher	Claremont Colleges Library
Date	2016
Reference	Seneviratna, Anuradha. “Ancient Anuradhapura: The Monastic City.” Colombo: Archeological Survey Department, 1994.
Collection	Ancient Buddhist Sites and Royal Residences in Sri Lanka - http://cdm15831.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15831coll15
Rights	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Type	Image
Format	image/tiff;
Object File Name	acs00235.TIF

Sri Mahā Bodhi shrine; Makara torana

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