Bendigo’s Sacred Bodhi Sapling Receives Australian Heritage Listing
On the 21st and 22nd of March 2026, Bendigo celebrated a deeply meaningful milestone: the Bodhi sapling, descended from the UNESCO-listed sacred Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, was officially recognised as an Australian heritage-listed tree—the oldest documented human-planted tree in the region.
To mark this occasion, two senior monks from the ancient city of Anuradhapura visited Bendigo: Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thero, Chief Monk of the Eight Holy Places and Head of the Abhayagiri Monastery, and Venerable Kallanchiye Rathnasiri Thero.
At the Great Stupa Symposium on Compassion, held to commemorate His Holiness’s 90th birthday, Abhayagiriya Thero spoke on the universality of the Buddha’s teachings, expressing happiness that his monastery could host prayers and practices from the Tara Lanka group, affirming that “it is all the Buddha’s teachings.”
On the 21st and 22nd of March 2026, Bendigo celebrated a deeply meaningful milestone: the Bodhi sapling, descended from the UNESCO-listed sacred Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, was officially recognised as an Australian heritage-listed tree—the oldest documented human-planted tree in the region.
The following day, at Bodhidhamma Vihara, the heritage listing of Bendigo’s Bodhi sapling was formally officiated, and a new hall’s foundation was laid. In a touching display of inclusivity, nuns were invited to the Bodhi tree area, where Venable Lekdron and Venerable Choying laid one of the foundation stones—an act symbolising harmony, continuity, and shared devotion to the Dharma.
This historic recognition highlights a profound connection between Sri Lanka and Australia—two lands now linked by a living symbol of enlightenment, compassion, and the timeless presence of the Buddha’s teachings.
