Social media outcry leads to investigation of Avukana robe-adorning incident

Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickramanayaka, has initiated an investigation into the recent incident involving the draping of a robe over the historical Avukana Buddha statue. 

As images of the new addition to the statue circulated on social media platforms after the Il Full Moon Poya, which fell on Sunday, the act received significant criticism from various quarters due to the archaeological importance of the statue.

The Department of Archaeology emphasised that modifying a statue of archaeological significance is subject to legal consequences under the provisions of the Antiquities Ordinance. In response, the Assistant Director of Archaeology in Anuradhapura and the Zonal Officer were dispatched to the site to gather more information on the incident yesterday. 

Numerous images circulated on social media yesterday depicting a group of individuals adorning a robe on the Avukana Buddha statue while some individuals were observed as having climbed on the statue to adorn the robe.

According to reports, the act had been carried out by a group of devotees from Wattala with the permission of the temple authorities.

The Avukana statue is a standing Buddha statue located near Kekirawa in North Central Sri Lanka. Standing at a height of over 14 metres (46 feet), the statue depicts the Buddha with a raised hand in the reassurance gesture, a variation of the Abhaya mudra. It is widely believed that the Avukana statue was constructed in the 5th century under the patronage of King Dhatusena.