Sasseruwa Buddha | Ras vehera
A tall, unfinished standing Buddha hewn into a rock face amid an old cave monastery, said in legend to be the abandoned twin of the nearby Aukana statue.
About 11 km from Aukana as the crow flies, tucked into a considerably more remote and secluded setting, a second colossal rock cut Buddha statue stands roughly 39 to 42 feet tall, carved from the same tradition and, according to popular legend, by the very same hand as its more famous neighbor. Known as both Sasseruwa and Ras Vehera, this statue depicts the Buddha in the Abhaya Mudra, the gesture of fearlessness, its robe carved to cling closely to the body in a style closely echoing the Aukana statue nearby, yet the sculpture was, for reasons lost to history, never actually finished, one ear left incomplete, its pedestal a plain, undecorated block of stone rather than the elaborate lotus base seen at Aukana.
The most enduring explanation comes from local legend, a master sculptor and his student, or guru and gola in the traditional telling, are said to have worked simultaneously on the two statues in friendly competition, the master completing Aukana first and signaling his victory by ringing a bell, upon hearing which the student is said to have simply stopped work on Sasseruwa mid-carving, leaving it forever unfinished. Chronicles offer another possible thread too, suggesting the statue may correspond to a monument called Rahera built by King Mahasena in the 3rd century AD, work that halted after the king's death and was never resumed by his successors.
A Bo tree at the site is believed to be one of the original thirty-two saplings taken from the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, planted here reportedly by King Devanampiya Tissa himself, and the whole complex, an ancient hermitage carved into a taller, more secluded rock than Aukana, sits genuinely undisturbed by mass tourism even now. For travelers who've already visited its more polished, complete counterpart, Sasseruwa offers a quieter, more atmospheric experience, many visitors find themselves even more moved by this unfinished statue than by the technically superior Aukana, drawn less to perfection than to the mystery of a masterpiece deliberately, or accidentally, left incomplete.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Small entry fee
- Opening hours: Daylight hours
- Time needed: 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Best time: Daytime
Getting there
At Sasseruwa near Kekirawa, about 11km from the Aukana statue.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Sasseruwa Buddha | Ras vehera?
- Small entry fee.
- What are the opening hours at Sasseruwa Buddha | Ras vehera?
- Daylight hours.
- How long should I spend at Sasseruwa Buddha | Ras vehera?
- Plan for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Sasseruwa Buddha | Ras vehera?
- Daytime.
- How do I get to Sasseruwa Buddha | Ras vehera?
- At Sasseruwa near Kekirawa, about 11km from the Aukana statue.