Last few days I was traveling around Polonnaruwa, the capital of Sri Lanka from 1100 AD - 1200 AD, to record archaeological sites using Google Maps.
I went to the Gal Viharaya(rock temple) without my regular photography gears in the night. Once I went there, I was amazed by what I saw. The Buddha statues under the floodlights were magnificent. I had a camera with me, but I did not have a tripod. Therefore, I decided, I should try night photography using my mobile.
I will first tell you a little bit about the Gal Viharaya. It is believed to be done during the King Parakramabahu I, the greatest king of the Polonnaruwa period. It is then known as the Uttararama. This showcase one of the best examples of rock carving and sculpting arts of the ancient Sinhalese. The style of the images in this temple is different from the images in the Anuradhapura period. In this temple, there are four main images which are carved into the face of large granite rock. There are two seated images, one standing, and one reclining images. There are debates on the standing image, but other images are Buddha images.
The inclining image depicts the Buddha’s parinirvana. This inclining Buddha image is the largest image in the Gal Viharaya, and it is 46 feet and 4 inches in length. The largest seated image is 15 feet and 2.5 inches in tall. It depicts the dhyana mudra. The smaller seated image is located inside the Vidyhadhara Guha(artificial cave), and it is 4 feet and 7 inches in height. The standing image is the much-debated image in the Gal Viharaya. Some say it is a Buddha image and some say it is an image of monk Ananda. It depicts the para dukkha dukkhitha mudra, which is rarely used gesture in Sinhalese sculptures.
Here are the photos I took using my mobile. One tip is to be stable before you take the photo without a tripod or monopod. You can lean to something to be stable.
Large seating image
All images with artificial cave
Large seating image
Small seating image
Inclining Buddha image
@Christina-NYC Aren’t they beautiful? Without knowing I have followed your tips in this post. @KarenVChin @ErmesT @YK1001 @Seedra @sithara_mahalekam have a look.
