(By Tsem Rinpoche and Joy Kam)

Gal Vihara, also known as Gal Viharaya, means stone or rock temple in Sinhalese. It is a Buddhist temple situated in the second largest ancient city of Sri Lanka, in the Northern Central Province of Polonnaruwa.

The Buddha images at Gal Vihara are known to be very sacred and highly charged. Many pilgrims and visitors have experienced blessings from the images by gaining spiritual realisations and a higher level of awakening. Although Gal Vihara belonged to Theravadan Buddhism, its monuments do show clear evidence of Mahayana Buddhism’s influence from the 12th century.

Polonnaruwa is the second largest ancient city situated in the Northern Central Province of Sri Lanka.

Origin

The temple was built in the 12th century by King Parakramabahu I (1123 – 1186 CE), and in the beginning it was known as Uttararama or “The Northern Temple”. It is a cave complex about 27 meters in length and 10 meters in height at its centre point, with four shrines of Buddha sculptures carved into the solid granite rock.

The four shrines consist of a large seated Buddha, followed by another smaller seated Buddha inside an artificial cavern, a standing Buddha, and a reclining Buddha. These Buddha sculptures show the great skill and expertise of the ancient Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) sculptors and artisans of that time. This has made Gal Vihara the most visited site at Polonnaruwa. Today, the temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its sublime charm and beautiful Buddha images are being preserved for posterity.

The Gal Vihara Buddha images are carved on a single, large rock face.

Gal Vihara’s Caves

The main feature of this temple are the four rock relief sculptures of Buddha Shakyamuni that have been carved out of a large piece of granite, creating four cave shrines.

The four Buddha caves from left to right are:

1. Cave of Vijjadharas
2. Excavated Cave
3. Cave of Standing Image
4. Cave of Reclining Image

A panoramic view of the Gal Vihara rock temple with its magnificent Buddha images carved out from a single solid rock. Click to enlarge.

The carvings of these Buddhas adhere to a style different from those of the Anuradhapura period which was common for temples of this era. Distinct differences can be seen in the broader forehead of the Gal Vihara Buddhas. The robes of the Buddhas in Gal Vihara are carved with two parallel lines, instead of a single line, which is typical of Anuradhapura Buddha images.

There is also a standing dispute among historians and archaeologists of the identity of the standing Buddha – whether it actually depicts the Buddha’s disciple Ananda or the Buddha himself. However, each image was carefully carved by maximising the entire rock surface. Even the height of each Buddha seems to be proportionate to the height of the original rock itself. Apparently, these Buddhas were once coated in gold and richly decorated, according to the archaeologist Senarath Paranavithana.

The original brick walls from the four shrines may have collapsed centuries ago, but the remaining foundation gives us a clear indication that these statues were separated from one another.

King Parakramabahu the Great ruled the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa from 1153-86 CE. During his reign from the capital city of Polonnaruwa, he unified the three lesser kingdoms of the island, becoming one of the last monarchs in Sri Lankan history to do so. He oversaw the expansion and beautification of his capital, constructed extensive irrigation systems, reorganized the country’s army, reformed Buddhist practices, and encouraged the arts.

Back in the days when Gal Vihara was known as Uttararama, King Parakramabahu held a congregation of monks to purge the Buddhist clergy of corruption and degeneration. One of his ambitions was to unify the different orders of the sangha groups into one order. During the reign of King Vatta Gamini Abhaya (104 BCE and 88–76 BCE), the sangha of the country had been divided into three main Theravada orders: Mahavihara, Abhayagiri vihara and Dakkhina vihara. Aside from that, the sangha had become very degenerate whereby some bhikkhus (monks) were marrying, having children, and with many monks behaving like upasakas or lay vowholders, chasing for worldly gains. This resulted in the “purge” of the monastic orders. Later, the king drew up a code of conduct for the sangha that is now inscribed on the stone walls of these Buddha shrines.

Cave of Vijjadharas

This cave’s main image is a seated Buddha carved out from the rock boulder and is about 15 feet and 2.5 inches in height. This depicts the Buddha as the chief of all the meditative Buddhas. He is seated in meditative posture with the dhyana mudra, which portrays the all-embracing Dharmakaya.

The seated image, which depicts the Buddha in meditative posture with dhyana mudra, shows signs of Mahayana influence.

The seat was carved in the shape of a lotus and the base richly decorated with carvings of flowers and lions. The Buddha sits on a throne carved with images from Hindu mythology, with four smaller Buddhas (identical to the main image) carved inside small chambers. This is quite an unusual feature for Sinhalese sculpture, and is most probably due to the Mahayana influence of that time. The four smaller Buddhas, also in meditative posture with the dhyana mudra, represent the four cardinal directions of the universe.

The Excavated Cave

The Excavated cave houses a smaller image of the Buddha with his hands in the dhyana mudra, similar to the main Buddha at Vijjadhara Cave. This Buddha stands at only 4 feet and 7 inches in height inside the artificial cave named the Vidyhadhara Guha. The cave was created by a single 4.7 foot carving into the rock, leaving four square stone columns at the sides of the 26-foot wide and 12.9-foot high opening. The base of the lotus-shaped seat of the Buddha is carved with lions symbolising fearlessness. Behind the Buddha is a carving of a throne and a parasol with more elaborate decorations than those on the larger Buddha. There is also a halo carved behind the head of the statue, which rests between two four-armed deities. According to archaeologist H. C. P. Bell, the deity on the right is Brahma, and the one on the left is Vishnu. The walls of the cave were once decorated with frescoes, now only traces of which remain and can be seen in two corners at the back of the cave.

The second image of Buddha in Vidyhadhara Guha, similar to the first one but smaller in size, also in meditative posture with dhyana mudra.

The Cave of Standing Buddha

In this cave, the Buddha image stands on a lotus base called Padmasana and it signifies that the Buddha is in a transcendental state. This sculpture stands at 22.9 feet high. This Buddha is standing at the head of the gigantic reclining Buddha. The way the Buddha’s arms are placed, folded across its chest, has created some controversy and much discussion among historians and archaeologists as to the identity of the statue. Early archaeologists believed that this is Ananda, a disciple of Lord Buddha grieving over the Buddha’s passing. However, subsequent studies have shown that the features of the statue is that of the Buddha instead of his disciple Ananda.

An unusual form of a standing Buddha with his hands crossed over his chest. This caused much discussion amongst historians as to whether the statue depicted Buddha’s disciple Ananda, or the Buddha himself. In the end it was established that this image is that of the Buddha.

One of the reasons that studies have shown this to be a statue of the Buddha, is that the image was once contained in its own shrine room, which used to be separated by a brick wall. Therefore it has no relevance to the reclining Buddha. So although the original brick walls from all three caves collapsed a few centuries ago, the foundations can still be seen, giving clear evidence that there used to be a wall dividing these images.

The second reason is that the rightward curled clusters of hair are only found on Buddha images and not on the images of his disciples.

The third is that the disciples of the Buddha have never been depicted standing on a lotus (padmasana). Also, the statue’s ears are elongated, which is another common sign of the image of the Buddha. His disciples and other deities, are never depicted with elongated ears.

Other possible reasons include that this Buddha image shows the Buddha during his second week after enlightenment, gazing at the Bodhi Tree in gratitude for providing him shelter during his meditations. Unlike the other three Buddha images, this image is also not mentioned in the Chulavamsa (Pāli: “Lesser Chronicle”) which is a historical record, written in the Pali language, of the monarchs of Sri Lanka. This may be an indication that this Buddha image was possibly made at an earlier period than the rest of the images.

The Cave of the Reclining Buddha

The reclining Buddha in this cave is 46.4 feet in length. It is the largest Buddha image in Gal Vihara and also the largest Buddha sculpture in Southeast Asia. Despite its massive proportions, the Buddha image somehow exudes supreme grace and serenity.

This is the largest Buddha image in Gal Vihara which shows the Buddha reclining, depicting the Buddha’s parinirvana. This Buddha image has been carved so well, that the bolster he is lying on looks like a cotton stuffed pillow instead of a rock.

Reclining versus Parinirvana posture

The reclining Buddha image here in this cave could be depicting the Buddha’s parinirvana or the Buddha in repose. Either way, he is depicted lying down on his right side with his right arm supporting his head on a bolster. His left arm is resting along his body and thigh. On his right hand and the soles of his feet, the design of a single lotus has been carved. A former Commissioner of the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka, Charles Godakumbure, remarked that the bolster the Buddha is resting his head on is so well carved that it actually looks like a cotton stuffed pillow rather than an object carved from rock. The Buddha’s upper foot (left foot) is seen slightly withdrawn which indicates that the Buddha has attained parinirvana. Hence, he is not merely lying down. Unlike the other images, the reclining image does not have a decorated pedestal, and instead the Buddha lies on levelled bare rock. Several sockets can also be seen carved into the rock wall behind the image and there are the remains of two stone columns, suggesting a wooden structure with a missing roof.

A close up shot of the beautifully sculpted reclining Buddha image.

However, there is a longstanding debate over the nature of the Buddha’s posture, whether this depicts the Buddha’s parinirvana or the Buddha in repose. The reasons why some would say it is the resting Buddha is due to the lotus symbol carved on the palms and feet of the Buddha and the fact that it is sculpted in the position called Simhaseyya, which is the pose of a sleeping lion, resting its head on its right paw. Aside from that fact, the theme of Buddha’s passing is not a very popular theme in Buddhist art, especially during that time in Sri Lanka. Finally, the Buddha’s parinirvana scene is usually depicted with images of disciples, sal trees and flowers, which is not depicted around this Buddha image. Nevertheless, many see it as the Buddha’s passing and not resting.

From this angle you can see the standing Buddha is quite close to the reclining Buddha, which created some debate on whether it was Buddha or Buddha’s disciple Ananda.

Last but not least, between the cave and the standing Buddha image there is a long inscription which details King Prahramabahu’s efforts to reform and unite the sangha community in 1165 CE. The king says, “Seeing again and again a blot on the immaculate Buddhist religion if a mighty monarch like myself were to remain indifferent then the religion might perish and many living beings would be destined for hell. Let me serve the religion that it might last a thousand years.” Right after this is a new code of conduct, drawn up by the famous ascetic monk Maha Kassapa of Dimbuagala. This code is interesting because it provides a glimpse into the everyday life of Sri Lankan monks in the 12th century.

If a wayfarer fails to find one
Equal to or better than himself
Let him be content to walk on alone.
There should be no fellowship with fools.

Dhammapada; 61

The wise man proceeds from one shrine to another, giving no thought to rivers, mountains, rain or the burning sun. He ignores any abuse he encounters and humbly accepts any alms he receives. He greets fellow-pilgrims, gladly shares his food with them and gives them advice on the road ahead. Thus he learns patience and contentment, generosity and kindness. Such a pilgrim is truly blessed by the Buddha.

Abhayatadananamaparajita Sutra

Think of yourself as a pilgrim and your teachers as guides
Think of their instructions as the road
And the practice as the land of your destination

Gandhavyayu Sutra

Videos of Gal Vihara

The Gal Vihara historical site used to be known as the Uttararama and was built by King Parakramabahu the Great (1153 – 1186 CE). This site is famous for its exquisite sculptures of massive Buddha images that have been skilfully carved out from a huge granite rock. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Below are some videos for you to enjoy and perhaps also plan for a visit there one day.

Gal Vihara – Polonnaruwa

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/GalViharaPolonnaruwa01.mp4

Gal Vihara Rock Temple (Ancient Buddhist Sites in Sri Lanka)

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/GalViharaPolonnaruwa02.mp4

For more interesting links:

• Exquisite Nagadeepa Vihara in Sri Lanka
• Wonderful Sri Lanka
• Dambulla cave temple
• Gautama Buddha’s life (1)
• Life of Buddha in stunning paintings
• The Buddha, the greatest teacher who ever lived
• Avalokiteshvara in Sri Lanka
• Tooth Relic of our Gauthama Buddha

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