Peraliya Buddha statue represents a tsunami memorial statue that was built near the railway track, where one of the largest tsunami accidents happened in Sri Lanka. Both eastern and southern coast line of Sri Lanka were severely damaged when tsunami hit this island in 2004. More than 30.000 people lost their lives. The train from Colombo to Galle was passing near a small village Pareliya when tsunami hit the coast. The waves managed to derail the train . More than 1500 people died in that train.
This is the reason why Peraliya Buddha statue was built – to honor the victims of this terrible accident and tsunami victims in general. Interestingly enough, that this statue is a replica of the Bhamin Buddha statue from Afghanistan. The magnificent statue from Afghanistan was completely destroyed by Talibans in 2001.
Peraliya Buddha statue in Hikkaduwa can easily be accessed by car or tuk tuk and we would recommend our visitors should visit it.
