GalViharaya is the most attracted religious place in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. The word "Gal + Viharaya" can be interpreted as "stone temple". According to Stone Text sculptures, these stone statues were carved by King Parakamabahu (ruled during the years 1153 -1186). The three statues are carved in one beautiful single stone with mash mellowed color layers. It's giving a tremendous color combined contours emphasizing the statues from the main structured back stone.
One statue is a meditating seated one and the middle is a standing Statue of Lord Buddha. The standing features are found different than the other standing pose statues just like relaxing mood with closed eyes.
The Far East stature commemorates Lord Buddhas Parinirwana (Passing away) laying on his last respect.
The stone smith marvelously chipped the stone with most of the details of a human body keep invisibly. If you try with an artificial light source at night or a time witch sun falls to statues by a side in the evening or the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise, you are lucky to see those features.
There is a rumor; one foreign hunter dies by his own bullet when shot the Laying Statue's upper arm.
By Indika Mayadunne
