On a rocky knoll above the western bund of Parakrama Samudra stands a 3.5-metre rock-cut figure of a bearded man holding what looks like a palm-leaf book or a yoke. Tradition has identified him as King Parakramabahu I, the builder of the reservoir behind him, although some scholars argue it is a sage or a portrait of the rishi Pulastya.
Either way the statue is one of the most powerful pieces of medieval Sinhalese sculpture — solid, calm, and beautifully integrated into the rock from which it was carved. A short walk from the road takes you to the foot of the figure.