Maligawila Buddha Statue and Dambegoda Bodhisattva Statue
The village of Maligawila is situated in the Moneragala District, around 15 kilometres away from Buttala town towards Okkampitiya. In 1951, a huge Buddha statue was found in the jungles of Maligawila, but it had already been broken into pieces by treasure hunters.
A first attempt to raise the statue was made in 1974 but was unsuccessful. However, in 1980, President Ranasinge Premadasa assigned a local engineering team who succeeded in restoring the statue to its ancient glory.
The Maligawila Buddha statue, made from a single limestone rock, is the tallest free-standing Buddha image in ancient Sri Lanka, standing at approximately 14.5 meters.
According to the ancient chronicle Chulavamsa, the statue was built in the 7th century by Prince Aggabodhi from Ruhuna, who also built a temple called Pathma Vihara and a great statue of the Buddha there.
The remains of a foundation around the statue suggest that a massive image house once surrounded it. This image house was about 20 me...
A first attempt to raise the statue was made in 1974 but was unsuccessful. However, in 1980, President Ranasinge Premadasa assigned a local engineering team who succeeded in restoring the statue to its ancient glory.
The Maligawila Buddha statue, made from a single limestone rock, is the tallest free-standing Buddha image in ancient Sri Lanka, standing at approximately 14.5 meters.
According to the ancient chronicle Chulavamsa, the statue was built in the 7th century by Prince Aggabodhi from Ruhuna, who also built a temple called Pathma Vihara and a great statue of the Buddha there.
The remains of a foundation around the statue suggest that a massive image house once surrounded it. This image house was about 20 me...
