Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha, Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

The Gal Vihara is a 12th century rock temple of the Buddha in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. The temple features four relief statues of the Buddha carved into the face of a large granite rock. The reclining figure shows Buddha in parinirvana, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained nirvana during his or her lifetime.  The statue, at 46 ft 4 in long, is the largest of the four statues in Gal Vihara and one of the largest sculptures in Southeast Asia. The statues are some of the best examples of ancient Sinhalese sculpting and carving arts.

Saturday Statues #2