Buduruvagala

 Buduruvagala 

Buduruvagala temple can be reached by going about three miles along the Thanamalvila road from wellawaya town and taking the side road Buduruvagala is famous for the huge buddha and bosat images carved out of black rock.The name Buduruvagala is also created from the of meaning of the stone from which the image of the buddha was carved.The surface of this rock,which is about seventy feet wide,is flat.The rock where this statue is carved is located above Buduruvagala lake.Because of a big rock similar to the style of an elephant the height varies from place to place,and Buddha image has been carved at the highest place.It seems that the so feet tell statue of Buddha,Which Occupies the leading place here,was carved out of stone and completed with lime plaster.This sculpture tradition is called "Chitrabhasa tradition'.On both sides of Buddha other images are clustered.It is reasonable to conclude  that this Buddha statue is an image of Dhyana Buddha due such  Mahayanic statues of AValokiteshvara,

Nata,Manju sri and Thara on both sides.This style of design is similar to the giant Buddha statues located in the Bamiyan mountain range of Afghanistan.Buduruvagala these statues are made in a harmonious blend of Mahayana and Theravada styles.It is considered that these are the creations created between the 8th and 9th centuries AD when Mahayana ideas where implemented in Ruhuna.Accordingly,it can be inferred that these statues may have been created during the Baminithiya famine during the Walagamba reign.In that era with the introduction of Vaithulyaism,the Mahayana influence also influenced the art of this country,So Buduruvagala was great  Mahayana temple located in Ruhuna .