Maligawila Statue

Maligawila is an interesting site near Okkampitiya, 27 km from Monaragala and 15 kilometres from the Buttala. Ancient chronicle of the Sinhalese, Mahavamsa states that the statue was crafted by King Aggabodhi in the seventh century. The statue was discovered fallen and broken into pieces in 1951. An unsuccessful attempt to raise this statue was made in 1974. However, a local engineering team managed to raise this statue and restore it back to its former glory in 1980. 

It is also regarded by some as the finest piece of all Sinhalese sculpture. Standing Buddha statue, posed in the ‘abhya mudra’ pose is freestanding apart from a discreet supporting brick arch in the rear. This statue is carved out of a single limestone and stands about 14.5 metres high; it is the tallest free-standing Buddha image in the country.

This site is surrounded by jungle and other ruins of gateways, terraces and a council chamber can be seen.Other historical sites in this area are Buduruwagala, Yudaganawa and Dematamal Viharaya.

Photographs by KT Varma

Visited @ 2010/07/05 with K.T Varma, S Prinavan, K Sugirthan, R Christina, Priyanka Ekanayake and Dulka Abeyaweera.