World's Symbol of Buddha - the Gal Vihare

Located in north central Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the place of one of the most wonderful of the world’s representations of the Buddha - the Gal Vihare. This immense rock temple was built by Parakramabahu the Great in the 12th century.

The central attractions of the temple are 4 huge statues of the Buddha engraved into the face of a granite boulder. Among these gigantic stone figures are a Reclining Statue of the Buddha that measures about 14 meters (46 feet) in length and a standing figure measuring 7 meters (23 feet) high.