sri lankan biggest lying buddha statue.... ගලගොඩ සැතපෙන පිළිමවහන්සේ

The Chulavamsa records that King Parakramabahu II reigned from 1291-1302. The Dambadeniya era is between the Polonnaruwa and Kotte periods in Sri Lanka’s history.

Ven. Somananda Thera had come to this temple on the hill six years ago when it was an abandoned shrine, overgrown with jungle. There was jungle all around with wild cinnamon aplenty. The entire hall with the statue had been infested with bats hanging from the ceiling. They had dirtied the statue which was black with bat droppings. The place also had a terrible stench. The Thera had got the statue washed and cleaned and had the bats chased away.


He also arranged for a road to be constructed up the hill and got it tarred. Before this, villagers would come by bus and climb up 208 steps to reach the temple. The steps can still be used by those who don’t come in a vehicle and the ascent begins from Karandeniya.

The soft-spoken monk points out that when he came here, the chest area of the statue and the eyes of the statue had been dug out by vandals probably hoping to find some treasure inside.

There had also been an “Ulpatha” – a natural water spring – in the garden coming from underneath a rock. Elderly villagers remember having a drink here to quench their thirst after climbing the steps. Not so long ago, vandals had blasted the rock and since that day, the spring has run dry.

The statue is so large, that the hall is barely large enough to accommodate it. There are seven doorways to enter this hall just from one side. One cannot go back far enough to be able to get the whole statue into a camera frame. The massive size of the statue takes one’s breath away.

Ven. Somananda Thera believes that when the statue was originally built, it would have been out in the open like at the Gal Vihara. The hall has been built much later. He says that when he was getting little repairs done to the temple, the statue was on rock. His workers had misunderstood him and the cemented the floor area, covering the rock. He laments that this was a costly mistake as it takes away the historical value of the place. The monk says that the five door frames (Uluvahu) opening into the outer hall had been turned out in rock and this was an indication that it belonged to a bygone era. The Buddha image depicts the death-bed of the Thathagatha. It is the “Pirinivan Manchakaya” – as the two feet are not symmetrical, being placed alongside, but with a gap lengthwise. Ven. Somananda Thera thus concludes that it is not merely a statue of the Reclining Buddha.


While the inner chamber houses the statue, the outer chamber is also impressive. At either end of the chamber are statues of the two kings Dutugemunu and Elara atop elephants with their soldiers alongside. They seem to be coming forward as if to meet. In between on the sides are ten-foot statues of the past Buddhas and also some of the Arahats. The walls, upto roof-level are adorned with paintings from Jathaka stories.

About 100 years ago, the temple was supposed to have been renovated by a pious villager, Iyonis. It seems such a shame that Ruhuna has overlooked this place of religious and historical significance. It is a place that the country could be proud of, although now lying forgotten and ill-maintained duGalagoda Shailatharama Viharaya (Karandeniya)


galagoda temple from www.tripadvisor.com
The Temple was a long abandoned shrine on a spectacular hilltop setting and it is said that the sculpture was originally in the open, built on the rock. The e to lack of funds. GALAGODA PANSALA
SHAELATHARARAMAYA
GALAGODA TEMPLE