Located a few kilometers east of Mihintale, the temple and monastery Sirisangabo Raja Maha Vihara in Veheragala is famous as a location of several extraordinarily beautiful Buddhist statues from the late Anuradhapura era, which today are among the showpieces of the National Museum of Sri Lanka in Colombo. A special feature of these figures is that they represent forms of Mahayana Buddhism, which actually applies to Sri Lanka as frowned upon as a deviation from the original form of the religion.
In the postcard is a 50cm-high statue of gilt bronze, unearthed in Veheragala in 1968, representing Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: Lord who looks down), a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. The Avalokiteśvara sitting posture, with dangling legs, unusual for Sri Lanka, is a combination of Lalitasana ("beautiful house") and Rajalilasana ("king's game-seat", usually translated as "posture of royal relaxation"), two different asanas.
About the stamps
The stamp, depicting Pisces, is part of the series Zodiac, issued on October 9, 2007.
References
Veheragala - google-webhosting.com
Sender: Gayan
Sent from ??? (??? / Sri Lanka), on 04.08.2014
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