(SKU: LSB100FBFD) Bodhisattvas are beings who have attained enlightenment but choose to postpone their own salvation in order to assist all living beings. During the time of Anuradhapura, there is evidence from archaeology that the worship of Bodhisattvas was practised as a subsidiary religion that was subordinate to the worship of Buddha. It is said that Prince Aggabodhi IV, who ruled from 667 to 683 AD, constructed a 15 ft tall statue of the Bodhisattva Maitreya and gave it to the Ariyakari Viharaya. The Bodhisattva statue known as Dambegoda, which is close to Maligawila, is considered to be the one that King Aggabodhi IV constructed. This statue is indeed very impressive, and the carvings on it are outstanding.
