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Veheragala Seated Buddha Statue |
Veheragala Seated Buddha Statue (Sinhala: වෙහෙරගල හිඳි බුද්ධ ප්රථිමාව) is presently on display in the Gallery of Anuradhapura Period in Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka.
Discovery
This gilt bronze was discovered along with a group of Buddhist images (Bodhisattva Statue, Standing Buddha Statue etc.) from Veheragala Sirisangabo Raja Maha Viharaya in Anuradhapura District (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). It was later brought to the present location for conservation.
The Statue
Seated on a lotus pedestal, the Buddha is depicted in the Veerasana posture with hands in Samadhi mudra (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). The robe worn by the Buddha closely touches the body and its pleats are shown by regular linear ridges (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). The right shoulder is naked and the pleated edge of the robe has been placed in front of the left chest. The face is round and the half-closed eyes are inlaid with crystals (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). The head covered with snail-shell curls has a slightly raised Usnisha surmounted by a Siraspata (the flame of knowledge). The empty niche on the Siraspata indicates that it had been embedded with a precious stone (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). The style of this image falls in line with the Standing Buddha Statue discovered at the same site (Chutiwongs et al., 2007).
The statue is 33.5 cm in height (Chutiwongs et al., 2007). It is 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.86-87.