Saṃghamittā
Saṃghamittā
9 min read
Daughter of Emperor Ashoka, she was a Buddhist nun who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka around 246 BCE. She founded the first order of Buddhist nuns (bhikkhunis) on the island and brought a cutting from the sacred fig tree of Bodh Gaya.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Daughter of Emperor Ashoka and Queen Devi, born around 282 BCE
- Ordained as a Buddhist nun (bhikkhuni) at the age of 18
- Sent on a mission to Sri Lanka around 246 BCE at the request of King Devanampiya Tissa
- Brought a cutting of the Bodh Gaya fig tree (the Buddha's Enlightenment tree) to Anuradhapura
- Founded the order of bhikkhunis in Sri Lanka, allowing women to enter monastic life
Works & Achievements
Sanghamitta established the first order of fully ordained Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka, enabling women on the island to access complete monastic life. This institution was instrumental in spreading female Buddhism throughout Southeast Asia.
Sanghamitta brought an authentic cutting from the fig tree of Bodh Gaya, preserving a living and symbolic connection to the site of the Buddha's Enlightenment. The tree grown from this cutting, the Sri Maha Bodhi, is still venerated today and is the oldest tree attested by historical texts.
The first women's monastery in Sri Lanka, founded by Sanghamitta in Anuradhapura. It served as a training and ordination center for women wishing to enter Buddhist monastic life.
Sanghamitta transmitted the code of monastic discipline to the first nuns of Sri Lanka, enabling them to live in strict accordance with the rules established by the Buddha. Her teaching ensured the continuity of the female Sasana on the island for several centuries.
Sanghamitta performed the full ordination of Princess Anula (sister of King Devanampiya Tissa) and many other Sri Lankan women, thereby founding the first generation of indigenous Buddhist nuns on the island.
Anecdotes
Sanghamitta was the daughter of one of the most powerful emperors of the ancient world, Ashoka, who ruled over much of India. Yet she chose to give up court life to become a Buddhist nun. Her father, though he had himself embraced Buddhism with great fervor, hesitated for a long time before accepting this decision — such was his love for his daughter.
For women in Sri Lanka to be fully ordained as nuns, it was essential that an already-ordained nun preside over the ceremony — and no such nun existed on the island. This is precisely why King Devanampiya Tissa asked Ashoka to send Sanghamitta: without her, women could have become novices, but never full bhikkhunis. Her arrival was therefore decisive for the spiritual equality of women in Sri Lanka.
When the sapling of the sacred fig tree from Bodh Gaya was brought aboard, the ceremony was extraordinary according to the chronicles of the time: the branch is said to have emitted a golden light before being placed on the royal ship that would carry it to Sri Lanka. Thousands of people accompanied the procession to the port. This account, even if it belongs to the realm of religious wonder, reflects the immense importance that people of that era placed on the event.
The sacred fig tree that Sanghamitta planted at Anuradhapura around 246 BCE is still alive today: it is the Sri Maha Bodhi. It is considered the oldest tree in the world whose planting date is confirmed by historical records — nearly 2,300 years of existence. Protected within an enclosure guarded day and night, it is venerated by millions of Sri Lankan Buddhists.
Sanghamitta founded in Anuradhapura the first Buddhist nunnery in Sri Lanka, the Hatthalhaka Vihara. There she taught the Vinaya — the monastic code of discipline — to many women of the island, including the king's own sister, Anula, who was among the first to receive full ordination at her hands.
Primary Sources
Sanghamitta, holding the sacred Bodhi branch, embarked on the royal ship. And the branch shone with a golden light over the sea, filling all who gazed upon it with joy. She thus arrived at Anuradhapura and planted the branch in the presence of King Devanampiya Tissa.
Sanghamitta, daughter of King Dhamma-Ashoka, received full ordination and came to Lanka with the branch of the great Bodhi tree and eighteen bhikkhunis to establish the female Sasana there.
The ordination of Anula and the other women of Lanka could not be accomplished without a quorum of bhikkhunis present; that is why Sanghamitta came with ordained nuns so that the ceremony would be valid according to the Vinaya.
King Priyadarshi sent his son Mahinda and his daughter Sanghamitta to spread the Dharma in distant lands, in accordance with the teachings of the Blessed Buddha.
Key Places
Capital of the Maurya Empire, this is where Sanghamitta was born and grew up at her father Ashoka's court. It is also the site of the Third Buddhist Council, where the decision was made to send missionaries across Asia.
Site of the Buddha's Enlightenment beneath the sacred fig tree, this is where Sanghamitta took a cutting before her departure for Sri Lanka. Bodh Gaya remains one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world.
Capital of the kingdom of Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE, this is where Sanghamitta settled, founded the first nunnery, and planted the cutting of the sacred fig tree. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The tree grown from the cutting brought by Sanghamitta in 246 BCE, still living today. It is considered the oldest tree in the world whose planting date is attested by written historical sources.
A hill near Anuradhapura where Sanghamitta's brother Mahinda met King Devanampiya Tissa and first taught him Buddhism. This site is considered the cradle of Sri Lankan Buddhism.
