Sri Lanka is an island nation saturated with historical intrigue. In addition to being a popular tourist destination filled with pristine beaches and adventurous rainforests, Sri Lanka was once home to advanced civilisations with a strong Buddhist influence, and therefore the island contains some of the most notable Buddhist temples in the world. So if you happen to be visiting one of the island’s many resorts such as Chena Huts, then visiting the Buduruwagala Temple should definitely be on your list of things to do in Yala.
Until recently, the tallest Buddha statue in existence was located in Afghanistan. Upon its demolition by Taliban forces, the Buduruvangala took its place as the largest statue of its kind. Archaeologists have traced the statue’s construction to the 10th century, although some say that the statue and the temple is as old as the 6th century. Mysteriously, little is mentioned of this grand monument in historical texts concerned with Sri Lanka.
There’s a total of five statues with the largest one, portraying the Lord Buddha, situated in the middle. The middle statue stands over fifty-one feet tall, with the two adjacent statues standing at around forty feet. Although a lot of the fine detail that was once featured on the sculpture has been eroded, some orange remains towards the bottom of the statue, indicating that it was once brightly painted.
In addition to the mystery of the carving’s history, there is a carving of what looks like an oil-lamp close to the statue. Interestingly, the cave in which the lamp carving is in to this day smells like Mustard-Oil, and the source of the smell remains a mystery.
So if you’re embarking on a trip to Sri Lanka, be sure to visit this historical and enigmatic site.
Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+
