The Gal Viharaya originally a part of the Uttararama temple complex. The rock temple of the Buddha situated in the ancient kingdom of King Parakramabahu-I, at Polonnaruwa in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was created in the 12th century by King Parakramabahu - I. The feature of the temple is four rock relief statues of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a large granite rock. It consist of four large statues. one large seated figures, another smaller seated figure inside an artificial cavern (Vidyadhara Guha), a standing figure and a reclining figure. These are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient Sinhalese engraving and carving arts, and have made the Gal Vihara the most visited monument at Polonnaruwa.
The statues of Uttararama imitate a different style from the statues of the previous Anuradhapura kingdom, and show some particular differences. The identity of the standing statue is subject to a certain amount of controversial among historians and archaeologists, some of whom argue that it depicts the monk Ananda rather than the Buddha. Each of the statues have been carved in a way that uses a maximum possible area of the rock, and their heights seem to have been decided based on the height of the rock itself. Each statue appears to have had its own image house, as indicated by the remains of brick walls at the site. The Uttararama was where Parakramabahu-I held a gathering of monks to purify the Buddhist priesthood, and later drew up a code of conduct for them. This code of conduct has been recorded in an epigraph on the same rock face containing the statue of the Buddha.
These pictures have been taken at night under lights.
Seated image
The large seated statue is over 15 feet tall, and depicts the Madhura Dhyana. The seat was carved in the shape of a lotus flower, its base embellished with carvings of flowers and lions. The statue sits on a carved throne, embellished with makara thorana, with four small images of the Buddha identical to the larger statue, carved inside small chambers. This is an unusual feature in ancient Sinhalese sculpture, and is probably the result of Mahayana influence.
Standing image
This standing statue is the focus of much discussion among historians and archaeologists, since there is a general belief that it is not a statue of the Buddha. The statue is 22 feet tall, and stands on a low pedestal shaped like a lotus flower. It slender back in a relaxed manner, its arms folded across its chest. The statue's face carries a sorrowful expression and the reclining image, which depicts the Buddha's parinirvana lies next to it, which has led some to believe that it is the monk Ananda, who is bemoaning the Buddha's demise at his deathbed. Paranavithana confide that the statue is of the Buddha, which depicts the para dukkha dukkhitha mudra (sorrow for the sorrow of others). However, this is a scarcely used gesture in Sinhalese sculpture, and is seen at only a few locations in the country. The image is not mentioned in the Chulavamsa, which only mentions the other three. While this may be an indication that it is not an image of the Buddha,
Reclining image
At the reclining image is the largest statue in Gal Vihara, it is 46 feet in length, and also one of the largest sculptures in Southeast Asia. It depicts the parinirvana of the Buddha, who is lying on his right side with the right arm supporting the head on a bolster, while the left arm lies along the body and thigh. The palm of the right hand and the soles of the feet have a single lotus flower carved on them. a former Commissioner of the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka, has stated that the bolster upon which the Buddha rests his head has been so well carved that it looks like a cotton stuffed pillow rather than one carved from rock. The upper foot, the left foot of the image is slightly withdrawn to indicate that the image depicts that the Buddha has attained parinirvana, and is not merely lying down. The reclining image does not have a decorated pedestal, and lies on levelled bare rock. On the wall behind the image, several sockets have been carved into the rock, as well as the remains of two stone columns, suggesting that its now missing image house had a wooden roof.
24-07-2017.
good and exellent
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