Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c13.40

c13.40

The bōdhi maḷuva is the platform surrounding the bō-tree, usually held up by a retaining wall of stone, of which that in Kandy, beautifully described in the Mahāvaṃsa as ‘a wall of stone, thick, high, and shining with plaster work, like unto a beautiful string of pearls adorning the neck of the city that was like a fair woman,’ is the finest example.