Buddha statue on the lines of the Bahamian Buddha being carved

By Gayan Kumara Weerasingha

The carving of the world’s largest stone Buddha statue out of a rock at Rambadagalla, Moneragala Vidyasara pirivena temple, in Kurunegala, is in its final stages. The statue which is 67.5 feet in height is carved completely out of rock. This rock which stood in a corner of the temple premises hidden by a clump of trees will become the world’s largest stone Buddha statue in the world shortly.
“When the Bahamian Buddha statue in Afghanistan was destroyed in 2001, we Buddhists felt really bad. Everyone talked about the Bahamian statue that was destroyed in Afghanistan.
“In March that year I happened to go to Kerala province in India because the Kerala- Sri Lanka friendship association had bought a land in Kerala and built a temple there. I went there for a ‘pinkama’.
I had to deliver a sermon in English. It was a grand ceremony and a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi was also planted at the temple. There was a Buddhist by the name of Lakshman who was about 86 years old at that time. He had been born in Kerala but was living in America. During the ceremony, we were talking about the destroyed Bahamian statue. I said that we intend to make a statue in place of the destroyed Bahamian Buddha.” After that incident, I talked about this statue again on Wesak Poya day in 2001 and subsequently people decided that we should carve a statue on the lines of the Bahamian statue. Meanwhile, though the work on the statue had begun, skilled craftsmen were found much later.
“I had spoken to a few craftsmen but I understood that they were all hesitant to put their hands on a big project like this.
However, I didn’t give up the work. Meanwhile, I got to know about an 18 foot high Hanuma statue in a kovil in Ramboda. That statue was a very impressive one and had been brought from India.
Amaramoli thero met M. Muttaiah Snapathi, a master craftsman in India who had been honoured with the title, Padma Sri Shilpa Kalamani. He subsequently, submitted an estimate amounting to 10 million Indian rupees. Amaramoli thero thought he would have to halt the project because of the costs involved. Fortunately philanthropists came to his aid.
Muttaiah Snapathi and his men came to Sri Lanka on March 14 2002 to carve the statue. The group took three years from that day on, to cut the stone into pieces and prepare it to be carved into the statue and it was only after that, that the job proper was started.
Many Sri Lankans have contributed to this major effort. Sri Lanka’s former Indian high commissioner Nirupama Rao has donated Rs 2.5 million and President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also contributed Rs 2.5 million from the president’s fund. Udahorambuwe Seevali thero recalled with gratitude that the president of the ACBC, Jagath Sumathipala and its former president Milina Sumathipala and many other philanthropists and social workers have donated millions of rupees to fund this massive project. Meanwhile, Seevali thero cautioned the public that agents had not been sent around to collect contributions and if any philanthropist wishes to contribute he or she can call on 037- 2252018 and obtain information direct from the temple.