Toluvila Buddha Statue

The Toluvila Buddha statue, an ancient sculpture, depicts a serene meditating Buddha and is a fine example of Anuradhapura period craftsmanship.
Toluvila Buddha Statue
Toluvila Buddha Statue

Toluvila Buddha Statue (Sinhala: තොළුවිල බුද්ධ ප්‍රතිමාව; Tamil: தொலுவில சிலை) is a limestone Buddha statue discovered from Toluvila Monastery in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka (Prematilaka & Hewage, 2018). The statue is currently on display in the entrance lobby of Colombo National Museum. It is considered one of the best-preserved ancient Buddha images so far discovered in the country (Rambukwella, 2014).

History

The statue was found among the ruins at Toluvila Monastery situated to the east of the present Anuradhapura railway station. It was discovered in 1890 by H.C.P. Bell, the then Archaeological Commissioner of Ceylon. In 1963, the statue was brought to Colombo Museum and placed in the museum's entrance lobby by N. B. M. Seneviratne, the then-acting Director of the National Museum (Rambukwella, 2014).

The Toluvila Buddha statue belongs to the 7-8th century A.D. (Chutiwongs et al, 2007; Prematilaka & Hewage, 2018; Rambukwella, 2014).

The Statue

The statue, made of crystalline limestone, depicts the Buddha in Samadhi pose. It is 5 feet 9 inches in height and bears features belonging to the Abhayagiri School of Art (Smith, 1911; Wikramagamage, 2004). The robe is diaphanous and the chest muscles are depicted fairly prominantly as the sculptures of Indian Mathura style (Chutiwongs et al, 2007). Although the facial features of this statue are similar to the standing Buddha of Mathura, a different is seen in the special ovoid face as opposed to the egg-shape character of the Indian image (Chutiwongs et al, 2007).

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References

Books, Journal Articles

1) Chutiwongs, N.; Prematilleke, L.; Silva, R., 2007. Sri Lanka Murthi: Buddha (Sri Lanka Sculpture: Buddha). Central Cultural Fund. Ministry of Cultural Affairs. pp.78-79.
2) Prematilaka, L., Hewage, R., 2018. A guide to the National Museum, Colombo: Department of National Museum. ISBN: 978-955-578-035-3. pp.4-5.
3) Rambukwella, M.W.C.N.K., 2014. Heritage representation in culturally diverse societies: a case study of the Colombo National Museum in Sri Lanka (Doctoral dissertation, School of Museum Studies). pp.165, 256,326.
4) Smith, V.A., 1911. A history of fine art in India and Ceylon: from the earliest times to the present day. Clarendon Press. p.94.
5) Wikramagamage, C., 2004. Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites: Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p.156.

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