Polonnaruwa’s rock-hewn Buddha Statues – in brief

“Gal Vihara”, also spelt “Gal Viharaya”, means “Rock Monastery”. It’s the name of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated rock-cut Buddha statues. They once belonged to the Uttara Rama, meaning “Northern temple”, founded by Polonnaruwa’s great King Parakramabahu I (1153-86). The Gal Vihara group consists of four fascinating statues, three colossal rock-cut images and a smaller one in a partly artificial cave. The Gal Vihara sculptures, each different in design, are undoubtedly the most perfect specimen of Buddha statues hewn out of solid granite in Sri Lanka. All four images are hallowed out of the abrupt eastern slope of a single massive boulder, which is about 27 meters in length and 10 meters in height. They are still in a good state of preservation. In order to protect them from acid rain, the resplendent images are sheltered under a new roof, the aesthetic perfection of which might be debatable.

The colossal sitting Buddha image of Gal Vihara is 4.5 m (15 ft) high and sits on a low pedestal in a large rock niche, framed by a Torana, the front of which has panels showing lion figures in front view.

The enigmatic standing Buddha of Polonnaruwa’s Gal Vihara group, 7 m (23 ft) tall, shows an unusual gesture with the arms crossed in front of the breast. Because of this gesture of devotion, scholars have speculated and most tour guides believe that this is not an image of the Buddha but of his favourite disciple Ananda grieving for his master who is passing away beside him. There is an ongoing controversy about the meaning of this imposing and also very charming rock statue. It’s most likely, it actually depicts the Buddha and not Ananda.

Next to the colossal seated Buddha is a cave with pillars carved into the cliff similar to Buddhist cave temples in India. In the middle of this semi-artificial cave is a second sedentary Buddha image, the arms of which are also in the meditation gesture called Dhyani. The legs show the same “hero posture” called Virasana that can be seen at the larger statue, too . The excellently carved image is placed on a throne and under a canopy, flanked by a Torana with deities and servents and mythical crocodiles called Makaras.
most admired image of Gal Vihara is South Asia’s largest reclining Buddha from ancent times, 14m (46 ft) long, depicting his passsing away into the final and eternal Nibbana (Pari-Nirvana)