Makara Torana

Aluvihara, Sri Lanka

The arch, which surmounts a seated Buddha, is fashioned in kala-makara form. Above the center of the left half-arch, seen here, Brahma rides his goose between a holy man and a guardian figure. Similarly, Indra rides his elephant on the right half-arch (not shown). Brahma and Indra figure in the Buddha story as the two gods who accompany him as he preaches in Trayastrimsha heaven.