View from the eastern end. This world famous site comprises four large statues of two seated, one standing, and one recumbent Buddha figures, hewn entirely from the living rock and known to have been enclosed in image houses. The rock outcrop is 56 yards long, sloping up to approximately 30 feet above the present ground level. The protective roofs were added in the early 21st century. The "Buddhist" flags represent the six colors (blue, yellow, red, white, orange and a band combining them) of the aura associated with the Buddha at the moment of Enlightenment and are symbolical of various aspects of the teachings of the Buddha. It was designed in 1885 in Sri Lanka and then adopted with local variations by many other countries. Uttararama refers to the "northern monastery." Some elements of Mahayana Buddhism are visible in the iconography of the two seated Buddha figures.
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