Destination

Is close to Buttala in the Southern Province where there is a Buddha Statue, carved out of a limestone 34 feet in height, 10 feet across at the shoulders, a rare statue carved in the round from a single stone and raised here on a lotus pedestal. It had fallen down for a very long period and was raised recently. The Statue is dated to7th Century, in a monastery complex identified as the old Ariyakara Vihara, according to an inscription at the site. About 300 yards away at the same site is another beautiful statue 25 feet in height identified as a Mahayana Statue called Dambegoda Avalokitesvara Bodhisattava Statue. This may dates to circa 8th Century.