Galvihare, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

The figure in the standing posture, next to the figure of Lord Buddha lying down, has some unusual features. The first of these is the fact that the arms are held crossed across the chest, which is unusual for an image of Lord Buddha. The second feature is the fact that there seems to be a sense of profound sadness, on the face of the standing image. These have made people speculate that this is a representation of Ananda, the chief disciple of Lord Buddha. These belong to the 12th Century AD. In the orient, the creator of the sculpture remained anonymous.