Northern entrance to the third and upper terrace of the Bodhi-Tree shrine, with guardstones, moonstone and balustrades. The terrrace is 21 feet above the ground level and measures 71x57 feet. At the ground level there would have been 41 Bodhi trees representing the Buddha's retinue of monks. The gilded railing is new. The white painted wall is in the style of the so-called "Buddhist railing" (with a post and horizontal fence design) found at Sanchi, India. The frail, remaining branches of the original tree are at left and now supported by metal props .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, 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.
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