Legend has it that this statue was borne as a result of a friendly competition between “guru” and “gola”, or master and pupil. The nearby unfinished but strikingly similar statue of Buddha was said to be the work of the pupil, unfinished because the master managed to complete this Avukana statue first. Everything from the nose that is precisely aligned such that a raindrop would roll off it into a small depression carved between the toes, to the height of the body being precisely nine times the length of the face, to the intricate pleats carved into the robe that covers only the left shoulder are all symbols of Buddhist tradition. The serene expression on the Buddha’s face that radiates a supreme calm successfully encapsulates the Buddhist spirituality, as does its position holding up its right palm in accordance with the “ashiva mudra”, which signifies blessings. Standing at a height of 12 metres, the tallest and widely considered best representation of a Buddha statue in Sri Lanka is certainly not one to miss.