A living link to 288 BCE
In the Mahamewna Gardens of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, stands the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, a sacred fig tree with an unparalleled history. Its scientific name is Ficus religiosa, but it is no ordinary specimen. This tree is a direct clone, propagated from a cutting of the original Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama is said to have attained enlightenment. The Mahāvaṃsa, the great chronicle of the Sinhalese people, records the precise history of its planting. In the 3rd century BCE, the Buddhist nun Sanghamitta Theri, daughter of the Indian Emperor Ashoka, brought a southern branch of the sacred tree to Sri Lanka in a golden vase. It was planted in 288 BCE by King Devanampiya Tissa, making it the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.
The tree itself sits on a high terrace, about 6.5 meters (21 feet) above the ground, a position of honor established centuries ago. For over two millennia, it has been protected by a continuous succession of patrons, from ancient kings to modern guardians. This unbroken chain of care ensures its survival and preserves a direct genetic link to an important moment in human history. The original tree in Bodh Gaya eventually died, making the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi its most ancient living descendant.
A genetic time capsule
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a historical relic and a unique biological archive. As a clonal organism with a documented age of over 2,300 years, its DNA shows plant genetics over long timescales. Scientists can study somatic mutations—small genetic changes that accumulate in an individual organism's cells over its lifetime. By sequencing the tree's genome, researchers could quantify the rate of these mutations in a long-lived flowering plant, giving data on cellular aging and genetic stability.
The genome of Ficus religiosa has been sequenced, revealing a total of 35,093 protein-coding genes. Such studies provide a baseline for understanding the genetic makeup of the species. Analyzing the specific genome of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi could reveal unique genetic markers that have arisen over its 23 centuries in Sri Lanka. This analysis allows researchers to observe evolution in slow motion. While direct comparison to its parent tree is impossible, its genetic material can be compared with other ancient Ficus religiosa trees, including other historical clones planted in temples worldwide, to trace the lineage and diversification of this sacred species. The tree's relationship with its pollinator, a specific species of fig wasp, is an area of scientific interest, as this obligate mutualism is essential to the fig's reproductive cycle.