Moonstone at Pancavasa (Biso Maligawa)
The moonstone found in the main flight of stairs on the central building of this Panchavasa, which is today more widely known as Biso Maligaya and is situated at the Abhayagiri Monastery in Anuradhapura, is its claim to fame. One of the two excellent moonstones from the seventh to eighth centuries still in existence in Sri Lanka and renowned for its exceptional artistic carvings is the moonstone found at the Image House of Panchavasa Building in the Abhayagiri Complex.
An outer ring of flames and a ring filled with four different animal species—an elephant, a horse, a lion, and a bull—are created around the perimeter. The following is a circle with a flower design (liyawela). The moonstone then has a row of swans with a flower twig and leaf on their mouths, then another floral pattern, and finally a lotus with petals encircling the center.
There is much discussion surrounding the significance of this pattern combination. The out-of-control ring of flames might be seen as a metaph...
An outer ring of flames and a ring filled with four different animal species—an elephant, a horse, a lion, and a bull—are created around the perimeter. The following is a circle with a flower design (liyawela). The moonstone then has a row of swans with a flower twig and leaf on their mouths, then another floral pattern, and finally a lotus with petals encircling the center.
There is much discussion surrounding the significance of this pattern combination. The out-of-control ring of flames might be seen as a metaph...
