Buduruwala is a rocky area dating back to the 9th or 10th century. It consists of seven ancient Buddhist statues carved on a large hillside. The largest measures 51 feet high, making it the tallest Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. The uniqueness of this place is that the large rock is shaped like the body of an elephant. The outer area, the head, and the trunk area can also be observed well.
Buduruwagala used to be our lonely heritage in the middle of an uninhabited forest. But now there are settlements a little closer, but the Buduruwagala is still alone in the middle of the jungle. Even the surrounding ruins have not yet been properly studied by archaeologists. Although not a major tourist attraction, it is one of the most important places to visit. After the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan destroyed by the Taliban, the largest surviving stone statue is believed to be the Buduruwagala. That’s why this is a site worth visiting. In the middle of this rock is the Buddha statue at Buduruwagala. The reason for saying that is because none of the other statues are Buddha statues.
[envira-gallery id=”8568″]Although Theravada was predominant in Sri Lanka, it is believed that these Buddha statues were made by the Mahayana for worship. Meanwhile, the 13-meter tall statue is believed to be that of the Deepankara Buddha. There is a stone hole on the left side of this Buddha statue. Some time ago, it was believed that the oil escaped from this hole and if you use this oil would not cause any illness. Even today the oil is still inside the pit, but it is not enough to touch. It is also located adjacent to the Buduruwagala Temple. This is the place to go to explore our history. If you are coming from Badulla Bandarawela, after passing Wellawaya town for about 5 km, or coming from places like Kataragama, Tissa, Hambantota you will find the Buduruwagala junction 5 km away from Wellawaya. Very easy to recognize.
