දෝව රජමහාවිහාරය - - Dowa Rock Temple - Island Life Sri Lanka
Travelers on the way to Ella usually cross Bandarawela and Halfway to Ella they will see this white Dagoba on the right side and This rock-hewn statue belongs to the Dowa rock temple, which is also known as Dova cave temple or Dhowa Rajamaha Viharaya.
It's definitely worth a break for travelers on the way to Ella, though the Buddha statue is not as impressive as those of Aukana or Buduruwagala and though most of the murals in the cave temples are not earlier than from the 19th and 20th century.
The Dowa Rock Temple (also known as “Dhowa Rajamaha Viharaya”) is famous for the only huge rock-hewn Buddha statue in Sri Lanka’s highlands. The height of the rock-hewn Buddha statue of Dowa is 11 metres (almost 38 ft). It is uncompleted and not well-preserved due to the fact that the rock is brittle. But the face is excellently carved. The statue is not mentioned in the ancient chronicles nor in inscriptions. Due to the similarity to the centre rock statue of Buduruawagala, it is attributed to the late Anuradhapura period, 9th to 10th century C.E. Though depicting a Buddha in the typical style of Sri Lankan art, showing the Abhaya Mudra, it could well be that this statue was Mahayanist and therefore not mentioned in the chronicles written by rivallinf Therada Buddhists.
It's definitely worth a break for travelers on the way to Ella, though the Buddha statue is not as impressive as those of Aukana or Buduruwagala and though most of the murals in the cave temples are not earlier than from the 19th and 20th century. The Dowa Rock Temple (also known as “Dhowa Rajamaha Viharaya”) is famous for the only huge rock-hewn Buddha statue in Sri Lanka’s highlands. The height of the rock-hewn Buddha statue of Dowa is 11 metres (almost 38 ft). It is uncompleted and not well-preserved due to the fact that the rock is brittle. But the face is excellently carved. The statue is not mentioned in the ancient chronicles nor in inscriptions. Due to the similarity to the centre rock statue of Buduruawagala, it is attributed to the late Anuradhapura period, 9th to 10th century C.E. Though depicting a Buddha in the typical style of Sri Lankan art, showing the Abhaya Mudra, it could well be that this statue was Mahayanist and therefore not mentioned in the chronicles written by rivallinf Therada Buddhists.
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