The Avukana statue is a standing statue of the Buddha in North Central Sri Lanka. The statue, which has a height of more than 14 m (46 ft), depicts the Buddha with a hand raised in reassurance, a variation of the Abhaya mudrais, a symbolic gesture representing protection, peace, benevolence and the dispelling of fear.

The Avukana statue is located in the village of Avukana near Kekirawa. It is set in a slight hollow and faces east. Carved out of a large granite rock face, it is not completely separated. A narrow strip of rock has been left at the back of the statue as support. The rock face behind the image is carved to give the appearance of a mountain. The pedestal on which the Buddha stands takes the form of a lotus flower.

The statue is widely believed to have been constructed in the 5th century, however a donative inscription, found in 1951 on the north wall of the shrine, dates to the 8th century.

There is another nearby standing statue in Sasseruwa, Sri Lanka of the Buddha, quite similar to the Avukana statue. According to legend, the two statues are the result of a competition between a stone sculpting guru (master) and a goal (pupil). The story goes that the master constructed the Avukana statue, while the pupil made the statue at Sasseruwa. However, that is a mere legend as the Sasseruwa statue was built nearly four hundred years before the Avukana one.

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