The colossal standing Buddha statue at the center of this image house is the tallest Buddha statue in Sri Lanka that is carved in the round and is made of crystalline limestone rock. Now supported only at the rear by brickwork, it was found lying horizontally with damage to several parts, including the right hand, face and feet. Restoration to its present state was completed in 1991. View from right side of viewer. It is 37 feet and 10 inches (11.53 meters) in height. It is 41 feet, 10 inches in height, with the lotus pedestal. It would have been inside a gedigé (image house).The right hand is held in a variant of abhaya mudrā that is found in Sri Lankan Buddha statues; it is turned sideways to the viewer, facing left. The robe and right hand are similar to the great Buddha statue at Avukana.
7th century CE. Fallen statue, found in the 1950s, restored and raised in 1991
Place
Maligawila (Maligawela), monastery complex, possibly at the location called Kanagama. Maligawila (Maligawela). Monerāgala District, Uva province. 15 km from Butthala. Sri Lanka
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