Giridara Bodhisattva Statue

Giridara Bodhisattva Statue
Giridara Bodhisattva Statue (Sinhala: ගිරිදර බෝධිසත්ව ප්‍රථිමාව) is a small bronze discovered from Giridara in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. It is presently on the display at the Gallery of Anuradhapura Period in the  National Museum of Colombo . The statue is 31.4 cm tall and represents Avalokitesvara, a Mahayana Bodhisattva ( Chutiwongs et al., 2011 ). The sculptural style indicates relations to that of the Andra/Pallava region of South-East India of ca. 7th century ( Chutiwongs et al., 2011 ). However, some features show a further improved version than that Indian style. Scholars have dated this statue to the early 8th century A.D. ( Chutiwongs et al., 2011 ). The statue is in the standing position. The high-piled headdress is adorned with a single flower (Chutiwongs et al., 2011). Both hands are half raised and the Katakahasta gesture is shown by the left hand while the right hand is in the gesture of Abhayamudra (Chutiwongs et al., 2011; Wikramagamage, 1990). The upper body is naked and t…