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Description
“Buddha attaining Enlightenment” (Quoted from CCF) Height: 1.4 meters. “The Buddha carved in high relief within the cave shrine in meditation with legs arranged in virasana posture on a lotus cushion placed on a rectangular pedestal with backrest ending in makara figures. Over the head on the rock ceiling is the umbrella (chatra)… The four-headed Brahma and god Vishnu flank the [head of the] Buddha on either side. Brahma holds [an] umbrella and [a] book by the back hands and Vishnu the lotus and a conch. The front hands of both figures are in in Anjali mudra. Two lions prancing are sculptured on either side [below a makara head spouting a small lion figure]. The pedestal [not in this view] is decorated with a frieze of vajra [and lion] design. The sculpture is one of the most elaborate presentations of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, displaying late Classical qualities. Further details of this sculpture may have been depicted in painting. The presence of brahmas and gods on this occasion is noticeable by the remaining traces of painting.” A Buddha statue at Tantirimalai (9th century CE, Anuradhapura district) may have been the prototype for this statue.
