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| Sunday, 19 September 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Buddha images from Gal Vihara Those of you who have visited the World Heritage Site of Polonnaruwa may have seen the magnificent images of the Buddha carved in rock at Gal Vihara (Stone Temple).
The 12th century seated Buddha image from Gal Vihara, the ancient Uttaragama, depicts the Buddha in intense meditative concentration which is known as Samadhi. It is thought by many that this image represents the Fourth Week after the Buddha's Enlightenment, which he spent in the Gem Palace, the Ratanaghara, contemplating the Dhamma, the Doctrine. The Enlightened One or the Gautama Buddha preached and taught the Dhamma until his death on a Vesak full moon day in 483 B.C. Today the voice of the Buddha is heard in the Dhammapada, probably compiled in the third century B.C. ++++++++ Before Enlightenment He was born to a royal family in Lumbini (present day Nepal) in 563 B.C. and was known as Prince Siddhartha. But He renounced the world, went into the forest and meditated for six long years until he reached Enlightenment on a Vesak full moon day.Gal Vihara was Constructed by King Parakramabahu I in 1153-1186 A.D. The Gal Vihara houses masterpiece statues of the Buddha, carved from a single granite stone. |
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