Appearance and Characteristics
The Toluvila Buddha statue is considered to be a masterpiece, and is one of the best examples of the ancient Sri Lankan sculpting art, along with the Samadhi statue in Anuradhapura. The Toluvila statue is also one of the best-preserved images of the Buddha that has been found in Sri Lanka. It is carved out of a single block of granite, and bears a close resemblance to the Samadhi statue, although slightly smaller. The Toluvila statue is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) in height. It shows the Buddha seated with his legs crossed and hands together in meditation, depicting the dhyana mudra. The seating style is known as weerasana. The distance between the shoulders is 3 feet 5 inches (1.04 m), while the knees are 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) apart.
While many other Buddha statues from the same period have long, hanging earlobes, the Toluvila statue lacks this feature. Another unusual feature is three lines that have been carved into the front of the neck that are believed to have been influenced by the Mathura School of India. It is possible that seated Buddha images, such as the one found at the Wat Phra Borom That temple in Chaiya, Thailand, may have been influenced to some extent by statues of the Anuradhapura period like the Toluvila statue.
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“You speak of poverty and dependence. Who are poor and dependent? Who are rich and independent? When was it that men agreed to respect the appearance and not the reality?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)