Introduction to Statues in Sri Lanka
In accordance with the
idea of professor Paranavithana the oldest statue has been found from
Mahailuppallama and it could be belonged to 2nd - 3rd
century AD. Further he says that the art of statues in Sri Lanka has followed
the Amaravathi tradition that practiced in southern India. Statue
sculpture has been developed very much in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa period.
Almost every temple is consisted with a shrine room where images are placed.
Origin of Buddhist Architecture in Sri Lanka
Even though chronicles
say that the lord Buddha visited Sri Lanka several times and gave relics to
enshrine in sthupas, it is difficult to find out architectural evidences or
records to prove about the style or manner of architecture in that era.
However the common
acceptance regarding the origin of Buddhist architecture in Sri Lanka is the 3rd
century BC (247) when Arahath Mahinda brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka.
Buddhist architecture
took a systematic way after the arrival of Venerable Mahinda.
After arrival of
venerable Mahinda, his residence was Kalappasada and it was not a well-built
monastery. Later on Mahavihara developed as a huge Buddhist monastery.
In time to come many
types of monasteries were built in the island while statue sculpture is
developing all over the Island.
Types of Statues
According to the material – stone,
brick, iron, moon stone, tusk, wood
According to the
material by which statues are sculptured, we can name statues thus, stone
statues, brick statues, iron statues, moon stone statues, tusk statues, wood
statues etc… the giant works of statues have been done with stone. For
examples; Aukana Buddha statue, Polonnaruwa Galviharaya, Dhambulla are major
places in Sri Lanka for Stone works. Pidurangala ancient temple in Sigiriya has
a very long Buddha statue made by bricks.
According to the posture of the hand
- Dhammachakka, abhaya, dyana, bhumishparsha, paradukkhadukkitha.
This category
is considered the posture of the hand and according to the posture of the hand
they have been named in these names.
On the other hand standing
statues, sitting statues, lying statues are other types of statue sculpture in
Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has a prominent art of statue sculpture.
According to the
posture of the body – standing, sitting, lying.
According to the posture of the body, this category has been come in to
existence.
Dhyana Mudra
In the Dhyana Mudra the Buddha sits cross - legged with his upturned palms placed
one over the other on his lap. This position is universally known throughout
the Buddhist world, and this statue is therefore one of the most typical pieces
of Buddhist sculpture. Samadhi Buddha statue is the best
example for this posture. This types of statues show calm and pleasant facial
impressions with closed eyes. This types of statues emphasize the meditative
Buddha.
Bhumisparsha
Mudra
"Earth-Touching Mudra," which depicts the simple
action the Buddha took to fend off the illusions projected by Mara, who was
desperate to prevent the Buddha from realizing that his, Mara's, projections,
and with them the entire world, are an illusion.
Dharmachacra mudra
This posture indicates the Buddha’s first
declaration of the Dhamma (Dhammacakkappavattana sutta) for five ascetics at
the Isipatana in Baranasi. This is also very famous in Sri lanka. And the name
Dharmachacra has been come with the first discourse of the Buddha.
Standing
Statues
Third is a standing statue of
Buddha. This has been disputed by some and think this is the statue of Ananda
thero at the site of Lord Buddha’s passing away. This 23 feet tall statue is
thought to be done by a later king as the chronicles talk about only two
statues in the seating position and one statue on the lying position which was
done by King Parakramabahu (1153-1186).
Famous Buddha statues in Sri Lanka.
Aukana and Resvehera
(Sesuruwa) statues
Sri Lankan ancient
sculpture in stone in the form of Buddha statues, sluices, guard stones,
pillars and other such artefacts are over 2000 years old. Among the largest
such standing Buddha statues is this famed Aukana Buddha statue lying amidst
Raja Rata - the cradle of our ancient civilization. It is carved out of a rock
boulder and lies close to the serene Kalaweva tank built by King Dhatusena of
the 5th century AD.
The Aukana Buddha colossus
in stone is also easily accessible through the Mahaweli System H, at Galnewa.
This Aukana Buddha statue is 46-feet high, resting on a fine lotus stone
pedestal. The symbolic gesture carved on the statue, called Mudra is in the
form of Ashiva Mudra which signifies giving or blessing.
A few miles away from
Galnewa via Magalweva in Mahaweli System H, lies a similar standing Buddha
statue enclaved amidst a vast conclave of rock cave shelters and giant boulders
in the folds of the jungle fastness. This Buddha statue is known by two names
one is Resvehera and the other Sesuruwa.
Resvehera has its
derivation that the patriarch Bo tree standing there had originated from a
sapling that was brought from the Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradhapura. As when the
Bo sapling was planted there, the rays (halo) of Lord Buddha illuminated around the place.
Sesuruwa means what is
similar, as the Resvehera statue bears similar profiles to the Aukana Buddha
statue. But there is a world of difference between the sculpturing structure of
these two Buddha statues.
While the Aukana Buddha
statue is 46 feet high, the Sesuruwa/Resvehera one is 36 feet high. This
Resvehera statue is carved into a rectangular frame in the rock boulder itself.
The siraspota is absent there, while it is portrayed in dots for the hair. The
Aukana Buddha statue stands on a stone pedestal in the form of an exquisite
lotus symbol. While that of the Resvehera statue stands on a plain rectangular
stone pedestal.
The symbolic mudras
(gestures) depicted here differ from each other. The Aukana Buddha statue has
the Ashiva Mudra (giving of a blessing), while in the Resvehera one, the Mudra
is in the form of Abhaya Mudra (meaning freedom from fear or fearlessness). For
all visual purposes, from the sculptured features on the Resevera Buddha statue
it appears that it was left in an unfinished state of sculpturing for some
unknown reason.
Builders of the statues
Some attribute these to
have been constructed by king Dhatusena of the 6th century AD, when he was
living in a temple called Sinhagiri Vihara. Still others say it was built
during the epic reign of King Parakrama Bahu, the Great of the 13th century,
AD. The Resvehera Statue also dates back to the 12th-13th century AD. As
regards the canopy constructed over the Aukana Buddha in the past, there are
diversified views expressed by archaeological authorities, as regards to its
removal. It is learnt from the Archaeological Department sources (its Advisory
Board) had approved its removal. Some say that removing such an overhead roof
would be damaging to the statue, as then it would be exposed to the natural
elements like sun, rain and wind. From ancient times, the statue had been kept
open sans any canopy over it. Consequently, it was quite exposed to the rigours
of time, wear
and tear of even the
natural phenomenon like rain, sun and wind. In conclusion let me mention one
unique feature of its sculpturing the Aukana Buddha statue.
According to local
traditions, they say that the degree of accuracy of sculpturing it was such
that if a drop
of water (meaning rain
water), detaching itself from the tip of its nose would drop in perpendicular
into the small depression (if there is no blowing), carved between its big toes.
That depression is still to be seen carved out in that fashion between the
toes. (Gamini
G. Punchihewa)
Samadhi Buddha statue
This deceptively simple monolithic Buddha statue in the Samadhi/ contemplative posture is now considered a master peace of Buddhist art. Its classical simplicity and purity of line and form having vested it with the transfusion spiritual quality reflecting the Spartan code of the Theravada Buddhism. Samadhi Buddha Statue belonging to 4th Century AD. is considered as best of Sinhalese sculpture. Found at Abayagiriya Monastry complex in 1886. Sculptured out of dolomite marble, the statue is 7 feet 3 in. in height.
Dambulla Buddha
Statues
The rock of Dambulla is the
centre of a Buddhist cave-temple complex established in the 3rd century BC and
occupied continuously until today. Its location has marked a transportation
node between the Eastern and Western Dry Zones and between the Dry Zones and
the central mountains throughout the history of Sri Lanka. The cave-temple
complex is established on an inselberg or erosional remnant of importance in
the study of the island's geological history.
This cultural landscape is
an extraordinary and unique complex: the cave-temple, rock paintings in five
caves and 157 statues of various sizes (The temples contain 153 Buddha images,
3 images of kings and 4 images of gods and goddesses). Dambulla bears witness
in its richly layered composite nature to the use of the entire site for close
to four millennia.
Within these caves, one of the best
preserved ancient edifices in Sri Lanka, is housed a collection of 150 serene
statues of Buddhist Order & the island's history.
The first cave named "Devaraja
Viharaya" houses a 14m long Buddha statue depicting the final extinction.
It was carved out of sold rock. By the head of Buddha are Ananda, Buddha’s
shadowlike disciple, God Vishnu & God Maha Sumana Saman. The cave was named
Devaraja meaning the Lord of Gods in honor of god Vishnu.
The second & the largest cave,
"Maharaja Vihara", meaning "The Temple of Great Kings" in
Sinhalese was named after King Valagambahu & King Nissankamalla whose
statues are contained there among 16 standing & 40 seated statues of
Buddha. Also on display are the statues of Hindu god Vishnu & God Maha
Sumana Saman. Throughout the entire span of rock ceiling & entire width of
the rock walls are the finest Buddhist murals in Sri Lanka.
Also painted are
the epochal events of the glorious history of Sri Lanka. The duel between the
hero of the nation, King Dutugamunu & marauding Dravidian invader Elara is
graphically depicted herein with paramount importance. The Buddha statue hewn
out of the rock on the left side of the room is flanked by wooden figures of
the Bodhisattvas, Maitreya to the left & Avalokiteshvara or Natha
to the right. There is also a mini dagoba & a spring which drips its water
from a crack in the ceiling, into a huge metal pot which never overflows.
Most
possibly excess water is being controlled by an underground channel below the
rock floor on which the pot is fixed. Or it could simply be, that the water
evaporates at such a rapid rate in the dry zone, there is no chance of overflow
at all. Perhaps it cannot be explained.
The third cave, the Maha
Alut Vihara is of paintings on ceiling & walls in Kandyan tradition
commissioned during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasingha, the famous Buddhist
revivalist. In addition to 50 Buddha statues, there is also a statue of a king.
The fourth & fifth caves are smaller & inferior to the other caves.
Polonnaruva Gal viharaya.
The Gal Vihara, also known as Gal Viharaya, is a
rock temple of the Buddha situated in the ancient city of
Polonnaruwa in north-central Sri Lanka. It was constructed in
the 12th century by Parakramabahu I. The central feature of the shrine are
four images of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a
large granite rock. The images consist of a large seated figure, another,
smaller seated figure inside an artificial cavern, and standing figure and a
reclining figure. These are considered to be some of the best examples of
ancient Sinhalese sculpting and carving arts, and have made the Gal Vihara one
of the most visited monuments in Polonnaruwa.
The images of Gal Vihara follow a different style than the images of the
previous Anuradhapura period, and show some significant differences. The
identity of the standing image is subject to a certain amount of dispute among
historians and archaeologists, some of whom argue that it depicts the
monk Ananda rather than the Buddha. Each of the images have been
carved in a way that uses a maximum possible area of the rock, and their
heights seem to have been decided based on the height of the rock itself. Each
statue appears to have had its own image house, as indicated by the remains of
brick walls at the site. The Gal Vihara, or Uttararama as it was known during
that period, was where Parakramabahu I held a congregation of monks to purify
the Buddhist priesthood, and later drew up a code of conduct for them. This
code of conduct has been recorded in an inscription on the same rock face
containing the images of the Buddha.
The main feature of
Gal Vihara is the four images of
the Buddha that have been carved
on a single, large granite rock face, considered
to be among the best examples of the rock carving and sculpting arts of the
ancient Sinhalese. The rock has
been cut almost 15 feet (4.6 m) deep to create a rock face to accommodate
the statues, and is the only
example in the country where a natural rock has been excavated to this extent
for such a purpose.
Misuse of Buddha statues
In the ancient era people respected to the Buddha statues with a great
adoration. But, for the present a lot of statues have been built in unsuitable
places where most of people do unethical and illegal behaviors. Four way
junctions, three way junctions, impure places, are some of examples for
unsuitable places where Buddha statues have been built.
On the other way, many types of Buddha statues are sold to foreigners
and the way they do this is not ethical and not respectful. This is not a good
sign of a Buddhist country.
Conclusion
Ancient Sri Lankan
architecture mainly grew around Buddhism. Buddhism had a
significant influence on Sri Lankan architecture, since it was introduced to
the island in 3rd Century BC. The Architecture of
ancient Sri Lanka displays a rich variety of architectural
forms and styles from the Anuradhapura Kingdom to the Kingdom of
Kandy.
Monasteries were
designed using the Manjusri Vasthu Vidya Sastra, a manuscript which
outlines the layout of the structure. The text is in Sanskrit but written
in Sinhala script.
Common features can be
seen almost every period with a considerable development. Sometimes, there are
ups and downs in the architecture in Sri Lanka since foreign invasions
Buddhism had a
significant influence on Sri Lankan architecture. Giant monuments and arts
reveal the inherited arts.
Sri Lankan architecture has developed with a
magnificent Technology. Sri Lankan architecture is not without its secular
buildings of palaces, assembly halls, council chambers, royal pleasure gardens,
houses of chieftains and farmers, rest halls and
many other buildings. We have in the island a
complex collection of these restored and documented.
References
on Schroeder, Ulrich. (1992). The Golden Age of Sculpture in Sri Lanka
Social Studies and History Grade 10, Sri Lanka. Educations Publications Department, Sri Lanka. 2006. p. 141.
Silva, R. 1990, "Bricks – A unit of construction in ancient Sri Lanka", ICTAD Journal, Vol.2, No. 1, pp. 21-42, Colombo.
Professor T.G.Kulathunga (2004). "4". Lankave Stupaya(Stupa of Sri lanka) (in Sinhala) (first ed.). p. 66.
Pieris K (2006), Architecture and landscape in ancient and medieval Lanka
By
Ven. Sumiththa T.
Sri Lankan Buddhist Cultural Centre - Hong Kong
3F, 27 Sheung Heung Road, To Kwa Wan,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
3F, 27 Sheung Heung Road, To Kwa Wan,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Very informative, thank you.
ReplyDelete