Gal Viharaya
Gal Viharaya, additionally called “Stone Temple” is a Buddhist temple that is taken into consideration to be a UNESCO world background website online at Polonnaruwa. Sri Lanka is one of the best places for Buddha sculptures carved out of strong stone. Crafted in the course of the rule of King Parakramabahu (1153-1186 A.C), Gal Vihara sculptures are nonetheless in entire upkeep with their irresistible attraction and sublimity. it’s miles obvious that the artists of Gal Vihara had been of extra distinguished skill and mastery inside the craft of stone sculptures in Sri Lanka.
that is one of the important traveller attractions in Polonnaruwa, offering in lots of put up card designs of Sri Lanka. built with the aid of king Parakramabahu in 12th Century, Gal Viharaya includes 4 Buddha statues carved into large granite stone turned into a part of the Uthararama complicated.
The 4 Buddha statues take the positions of Lord Buddha within the meditation pose on a lotus in which the rock at the back of the statue is adorned with carvings of “vimana, 15 ft excessive statue depicts the Lord Buddha’s visit to the Thusitha heaven to preach his mom and guarded by means of different statues of God, 1/3 is believed by means of some to be a status statue of 23ft tall of Ananda Thero at the web site of lord Buddha’s passing away, besides the fourth eighty toes lengthy reclining statue of Parinirvana, that is the passing-away of Lord Buddha. those are believed to had been painted with gold and studded with precious stones all through king’s era and have been stolen via the treasure hunters.
The 23ft tall statue is idea to be performed by a later king because the chronicles communicate about simplest statues inside the seating position and one statue at the lying function which become performed with the aid of King Parakramabahu (1153-1186). The closing big statue of Buddha inside the reclining position shows the signs and symptoms of Lord Buddha’s at his dying and no longer him resting inclusive of the ear lid falling along the frame and one foot barely in the back of the alternative wherein the ft aren’t located equally.
The Gal Viaharaya at Polonnaruwa is a cave complicated, which changed into called the “The Northern Temple” in the starting of its history which is ready 27 meters in length and 10 meters in top at the centre, inclining closer to the ends, with sculptures carved at the strong rock in 4 shrines.
similar to different numerous Buddhist shrines in Sri Lanka, Gal Vihara is a shrine of Theravada Buddhism. alternatively Gal Vihara vouches for the impact of Mahayana Buddhism during the twelfth century.