Buduruwagala is an ancient buddhist temple in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. The complex consists of seven statues and belongs to the Mahayana school of thought. The statues date back to 10 century AD. The gigantic Buddha statue still bears traces of its original stuccoed robe and a long streak of orange suggests it was once brightly painted. The central of the three figures to the Buddha's right is thought to be the Buddhist mythological figure-the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. To the left of this white painted figure is a female figure in the thrice-bent posture, which is thought to be his consort-Tara.

Location

Buduruvagala is located about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Wellawaya in Monaragala district, Sri Lanka.

Size of the statues

The largest of the standing Buddha statues is 51 feet (15.5 m) from head to toe; is the largest standing Buddha statue of the island.

History

Authorities generally date them to the 9th or 10th century.
Buduruvagala does not have much historical records. Even its original name is unknown. It is thought to be a hermitage for monks.
The sculptures of Buduruvagala also include many sculptures of Bodhisattva

Bodhisattva

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...

 images including Mahayana

Mahayana

Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...

 tradition.

The mustard oil lamp

On the same rock where the sculptures are carved, there is a carved shape of about 3 foot (0.9144 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) heigh. It is of the shape of a flame. The inside wall of this carved shape is always wet of an oil that smells very much like Mustard oil

Mustard oil

The term mustard oil is used for three different oils that are made from mustard seeds:*A fatty vegetable oil resulting from pressing the seeds,...

. This oil comes to the carved shape with no explainable source or reason.

Other archilogical site near Maligawila

• Maligawila Buddha statue
  Maligawila Buddha statue
  The Maligawila Buddha statue is a standing figure of the Buddha in Sri Lanka, which has been carved out of a large limestone rock during the 7th century by a prince named Aggabodhi. It is the tallest free-standing ancient statue of the Buddha found in the country. It had been broken into several...
  
  
• Dematamal viharaya
• Yudaganawa