About 5 kilometers South of Wellawaya and off the beaten track surrounded by a beautiful man made ancient lake is the relatively unknown mysterious historic rock sculptures of Buduruwagala. These seven colossal figures pertaining to the Mahayana Buddhist Doctrine sculptured on to a rock face is still a controversy.

The Central Figure of the group A51 feet tall image of the Buddha - The tallest standing Buddha in the Island, is a Unique assemblage of Gigantic Statuary. This is attended on either side by two 40 foot high Bodhisatva's, each of which is again flanked by two figures, one a female. The truly handsome image of the Bodhisatva on the Buddha's right is said to be Avalokitesvara who is flanked on the left by the bare breasted figure of Goddess Tara in the Thivanka (thrice-Bent) pose.

The Bodhisatva's of Buduruvagala with the Mudra-Gesture (Two fingers, the ring and the middle bent forward touching the palm) beckons devotees to come forward and worship in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility in this scenic jungle hideout.

The Bamiyan statues in Afghanistan were the tallest standing statues of Buddha. Taliban at the instance of fanatic followers of Osama Bin Laden blew them up. Hence the remaining tallest statue is at Buduruwagala in Sri Lanka. This Rock Carving is 51 feet (fifty one feet) tall. The tremendous work of Buduruwagala belonged to the latter period of Anuradhapura Kingdom for the piety to make offerings.

Traditionally, the people believe that the Buddha Statue was sculpted during the reign of King Valagamba. A similar Buddha statue on the Dowa rock is said to have been sculpted during the reign of King Valagamba.

The view of the cognoscenti that the statue of AVALOKTHEESVARA would have been sculpted during the 8th and the 10th centuries. It can assume that the Buddha Statue may have been completed subsequently. It is now agreed that the statues at Buduruwagala had been carried out during the final phase of the Anuradhapura period. No information regarding the exact period of the Buduruwagala statues is so far available in the stone inscriptions or in the chronicles.

Buduruwagala Rock - a stone Shrine situated above the Buduruwagala tank in a picturesque place below a mountain, in the Wellawaya Divisional Secretaries Division of the Province of Uva. Vehicles could easily approach it. (Most of the rock carving are done in front of a tank is for the sculptures to see mirror image of the carvings that they are working) The rock gives the visual impression of a massive elephant kneeling with bowed head, end of the folded trunk in the mouth. The Buddha statue is in the centre and six other images are carved three on each side with a symbol of lamp flame near the right foot.

The tallest Buddha Statue sculpted out of rock in Sri Lanka is the Buduruwagala, upright Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka by way of height as well as width and sculpting from the rock. Other similar rock carvings in Sri Lanka are at AVUKANA , SASERUWA & MALIGAWILA Buddha statues. However the relief of the sculpture of Buduruwagala is less than those of the other statues mentioned earlier. Only potion above waist is smoothen whilst the lower potion has been left in rough condition. The Statue faces east; the lifted right hand depicts the fingers in the posture of kindness (Abhaya Mudra) and freedom from fear.

A hole that has been drilled in the rock in the form of the flame of a lamp. Through this hole percolates oil that smells of mustard oil. It is being said that, after anointing this oil on the forehead the adherents used to present themselves before Tara Devi or Vajra Pani and solicit the cure of their ailments.

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