GAMANA This world-famous sitting stance statue of Lord Buddha can be seen in the Mahamewna Park in the historical city of Anuradhapura. When moving ahead passing Abhayagiri Dagaba in Atamasthana, we should take the first right turn at the first junction. At a glance, this statue that seems to be lively is an excellent creation of the Sinhalese sculpture.
Although clear evidence is not available, the origin of the statue dates to the 4th to 6th centuries. In shape, size, and mood it is somewhat similar to the statue of Tholuvila. In height, it is about 8 feet. This statue is considered as one of the four statues located around Sri Maha Bodhi. With the abreast of time, some minor damages have happened to the statue but still, look great and proud. Even the eyes are said to have been carved with gems or any other precious stones.
In short, what we can say about this statue is that it is a masterpiece that has given animation to an inanimate stone. The most remarkable feature of this statue is showing three different moods such as kindness contemplation from the front, left, and right side of Lord Buddha’s face. This statue in self-communion has the ability to bring any committed person into a benign mood. This dispassionate statue of Lord Buddha can be denominated as a proud masterpiece of ancient Sri Lankan sculpture. It is said that, on his one and only visits to Sri Lanka, the former prime minister, Sri Jawahar Lal Nehru had contemplated for a while in front of this statue.
