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Veheragala Standing Buddha Statue |
Veheragala Standing Buddha Statue (Sinhala: වෙහෙරගල හිටි බුද්ධ ප්රථිමාව) is presently on display in the Gallery of Anuradhapura Period in Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka. It is considered a unique product among the galaxy of Buddha statues in the country.
Discovery
This gilt bronze was discovered along with a group of Buddhist images (Bodhisattva Statue, Seated Buddha Statue etc.) from Veheragala Sirisangabo Viharaya in Anuradhapura District (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). It was later brought to the present location for conservation.
The Statue
The statue is 66 cm in height and depicted in the Samabhanga position (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). The right hand shows Abhaya-mudra while the bent left hand carries the robe falling over the forearm (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). The transparent robe touches the body of the Buddha smoothly and its pleats are shown by regular linear ridges. The eyes of the statue are embedded with crystal eyeballs. This statue is believed to be an object of worship displayed in a shrine (Chutiwongs et al., 2007).
The statue has been dated by scholars to the 9th century A.D. (Chutiwongs et al., 2007).
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References
Books
1) Chutiwongs, N.; Prematilleke, L.; Silva, R., 2007. Sri Lanka Murthi: Buddha (Sri Lanka Sculpture: Buddha). Central Cultural Fund. Ministry of Cultural Affairs. pp.54-55.