Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

Weligama, Sri Lanka

The 3m (10ft) tall Bodhisattva is sculpted in bas-relief within a hillside niche. Avalokiteshvara is identified by his typical iconography and details of costume, including the seated Buddha in his crown. Signage dates the figure to the 6th century AD; other proposed dates have run as late as the 8th-9th century.

Weligama is located near Matara on Sri Lanka's south coast.