Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Headstone of Matilda Joslyn Gage.
Matilda Joslyn Gage Grave
Mammoth footprint replica
Ice Age Floods display at Tualatin Public Library
Karpeles Manuscript Library Mini Museum
Shakespeare’s Death Mask
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Omni Parker House Hotel
The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Sri Lanka Kushtarajagala Statue
AO Edited

Kushtarajagala Statue

Does this 10-foot-tall statue carved into a rock face depict a king afflicted by a skin condition or a Buddhist figure?

Weligama, Sri Lanka

Added By
iiviivix
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Michael Gunther / CC BY-SA 4.0
Kushtarajagala   Amila Tennakoon / CC BY 2.0
  iiviivix / Atlas Obscura User
  Max Cortesi / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In Weligama, a beach town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, there is a 10-foot-tall statue carved into the face of a boulder. Though the exact origin of this sculpture is not known, there are many theories and local stories about where it came from.

Some local legends tell a story of a foreign king, while other stories say it was a prince, who suffered from a severe skin disease (kushta in Singhalese). He came to hide in Weligama Bay and was then cured by a local doctor. As a sign of his gratitude, the royal carved a statue of himself and left. (It is argued that if the story is true the king should have carved a statue of the doctor.)

Another version of the story talks about how this sick king or prince made an offering to the god Natha, who appears in many forms. Once he was cured, he made a statue of Natha as a gift. These stories were told in ancient times when Weligama was used as a harbor by foreign trading ships, meaning the rock could have been there before they arrived.

Archaeologists and historians believe that the statue depicts a Bodhisattva, a person who is destined to reach nirvana. This is due to the presence of four meditating Buddha figures on the headdress and a lotus in the hand. Most maintain that it is the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, from Mahayana Buddhism, thought to be the most powerful healers of mankind. This theory is based on two ideas: First, because of the local stories about the king/prince being healed; and second because of similar carvings found in the Wellawaya area called Buduruwagala Raja Maha Viharaya, which is located to the northeast. Details of the statue have led archaeologists to believe that it dates back to the seventh or eighth century.

Regardless of any belief, this statue is the only remaining preserved statue in this area and locals still come to worship this statue to request relief from diseases.

Related Tags

Healing Buddhism Archaeology Legends Statues

Know Before You Go

Open always. No lock on the rotating turnstile gate. There are no lights at night time.

Community Contributors

Added By

iiviivix

Edited By

Max Cortesi, Michelle Cassidy, joeden2000

  • Max Cortesi
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • joeden2000

Published

June 30, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.lankapradeepa.com/2019/05/kustarajagala.html
  • http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/lanka/matara/we01.html
  • https://www.22weligambay.com/things-to-do/kushtarajagala.html
Kushtarajagala Statue
A2
Weligama
Sri Lanka
5.969453, 80.420025
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Unawatuna Peace Pagoda

Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

miles away

Galle Fort

Galle, Sri Lanka

miles away

Wewurukannala Vihara

Dikwella, Sri Lanka

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Asia

Places 39
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Unawatuna Peace Pagoda

Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

miles away

Galle Fort

Galle, Sri Lanka

miles away

Wewurukannala Vihara

Dikwella, Sri Lanka

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Asia

Places 39
Stories 7

Related Places

  • A massive seated Buddha is carved into a rock face.

    Tianshui, China

    Bingling Temple

    A hidden Buddhist gem accessible only by boat.

  • Kyichu Lhakhang.

    Bhutan

    Kyichu Lhakhang Temple

    One of Bhutan's oldest temples was purportedly built to stop a giant female ogre from preventing the spread of Buddhism across Tibet.

  • Close up of phallic rock

    Kharkhorin, Mongolia

    Kharkhorin Rock

    A mysterious phallic rock on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery.

  • Taipei, Taiwan

    National Taiwan Museum Bronze Oxen

    These two 90-year-old statues were once part of a Japanese Shinto shrine.

  • Funerary stelae and graves from past centuries (note that these are not the Bone Buddhas).

    Osaka, Japan

    Bone Buddhas at Isshin-ji Temple

    This temple is home to a group of Buddha statues made from thousands of bones and ashes of the deceased.

  • Den Spauwer prepares to spew.

    Brussels, Belgium

    Den Spauwer

    Known as "The Spewer," this bizarre fountain has an even stranger urban legend behind it.

  • Royal Palace of King Maha Parakramabahu.

    Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

    Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

    This site was once the religious, cultural, and trade center of Sri Lanka.

  • The Golden Dove up close

    Darłowo, Poland

    King Eric's Golden Dove

    This statue is said to bring good luck to visiting lovebirds.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.