In Sri Lanka, the government’s concern for the country’s holiest tree, the 2,300-year-old Sri Maha Bodhi, resulted in a swift response to rumours that 5G cellular indicators had been inflicting hurt. The tree, grown from a chopping of the Indian bodhi tree that sheltered Buddha when he achieved enlightenment, is an emblem of national sovereignty and an object of worship. The claims that 5G radiation was damaging the tree and putting it at danger of dying prompted President Ranil Wickremesinghe to send a group of consultants to analyze. After finishing up surveys and analyzing the tree, they concluded that there were no 5G alerts in the area.
The chief monk of the Bomaluwa Temple that homes the tree in Anuradhapura, 200 kilometres north of Colombo, was accused of taking bribes from cellphone operators to allow them to arrange 5G base stations nearby. “ Cheap am not a scientist, nor a botanist, so I raised the issue with the president in February,” monk Pallegama Hemarathana, sixty eight, told AFP information company. “He immediately appointed a panel of consultants.”
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Director General Helasiri Ranatunga advised AFP there was “no 5G protection in the sacred area as rumoured”. Radiation within the space was nicely beneath World Health Organization thresholds, and botanical experts had ruled there was no menace from current 2G, 3G or 4G coverage. The panel did, however, advocate banning mobile phone use to protect the temple’s tranquillity.
The Sri Maha Bodhi tree, botanically a “ficus religiosa” or “bo”, is worshipped by thousands of Buddhists day by day as a symbol of the “living Buddha”. The tree is comparatively small despite its lengthy history and is supported by 10 gold-plated iron helps. It is dwarfed by another bodhi tree a short distance away..