The Buddha in Meditation , Gal Vihara, Sri Lanka

Seated in a pose of deep meditation, the Buddha’s palms are in the Dyana Mudra pose or the meditative pose.  A mudra is a symbolic gesture in Buddhist and Hindu iconography.  A mudra is a symbolic gesture. Mudras or hand gestures are non-verbal communications with important spiritual significance, a  coded message  imbued in the five fingers. In such an interpretation, each of the fingers, starting with the thumb, is identified with one of the five elements, namely the sky, wind, fire, water, and the earth. Their contact with each other symbolizes the synthesis of these elements, significant because every form in this universe is said to be composed of a unique combination of these elements.

This image is from Gal Vihara otherwise known as  Uttararama , a rock-cut temple in the ancient city of Polannaruwa in Sri Lanka which was built in 12th CE under the patronage of the king Parakramabahu  I.

Reflecting serenity and universal peace , the image  of the Buddha are found all over Sri Lanka. Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka in  250 BCE   and became the national religion of the Sinhalese from that date.

Buddhism was brought from India  in the 3rd BCE, where it had been established by Siddhartha Gautama three centuries earlier. The powerful Indian monarch, Asoka, patronised  the religio-philosophical system  that Buddhism  presented. Asoka’s empire, which extended over most of India, supported one of the most vigorous missionary enterprises in history.

The Buddhist tradition of chronicling events has aided the verification of historical figures. One of most important of these figures was King Devanampiya Tissa (250-c. 207 B.C.). According to the Mahavamsa, Asoka’s son and emissary to Sri Lanka, Mahinda, introduced the monarch to Buddhism. Devanampiya Tissa became a powerful patron of Buddhism and established the monastery of Mahavihara, which became the historic centre of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka.