Scenes from Isurumuniya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

View from the far side of the pond.

A stone carving of a squirrel?

The Buddha image under the overhanging rock.

Scenes from the life of Lord Buddha.

The recumbent image of Lord Buddha lies under the overhanging rock. Repeated applications of paint over the years and the drawings on the walls give it a very tasteful sight.

Artifacts and monkeys at Isurumuniya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

A drainage channel of stone.

A wall with neatly fittes stone blocks and a stone stairway.

Monkey on a tree in the premises.

A monkey next to a decorative water pot made of stone.

Built by King Davanampiya Tissa (250-210 BC) this rock temple donated to the Buddhist monks, has an aura of serenity. It has a collection of workings in stone which surpasses any similar ones in the world by their beauty and simplicity of style.

Works of the stone-cutters, Isurumuniya, Sri Lanka.

Decorated stone pillars.

Doorway to the old rock-temple

Decorated door-posts.

Decorated door-posts.

 Granite slabs of stone have been worked by the stone-cutters two millenia ago. It looked as easy as working with wax.

Sights at Isurumuniya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

A 'Guard-stone' depicting a man carrying a pot in the right hand.

Engraving on the stone of a retaining wall.

A stylized pot containing water - an auspicious sight.

A 'Moon-stone' at the bottom of the stair-way leading to the old temple.

Isurumuniya, Sri Lanka.

The rock-temple

Elephant figures carved on the rock near the pool.

Monkey frolicking near the pool.

'The temple was built by King Devanampiya Tissa who ruled in the ancient Sri Lankan capital of Anuradhapura. After 500 children of high-caste were ordained, Isurumuniya was built for them to reside. King Kasyapa I (473-491 AD) renovated this viharaya and named it as "Boupulvan, Kasubgiri Radmaha Vehera". This name is derived from names of his 2 daughters and his name. There is a viharaya connected to a cave and above is a cliff. A small stupa is built on it. It can be seen that the constructional work of this stupa belong to the present period. Lower down on both sides of a cleft, in a rock that appears to rise out of a pool, have been carved the figures of elephants. On the rock is carved the figure of a horse. The carving of Isurumuniya lovers on the slab has been brought from another place and placed it there. A few yards away from this vihara is the Ranmasu Uyana'. - Wikipedia.