Монограмма по левому краю и справа внизу

Sri Lanka, which became a stronghold of Buddhism already in the 3rd century B.C., gave Nikolay Roerich many images for his paintings. One of them, of the "Ashrama" series, was created after the artist's second visit to the island in 1930. Later, he painted another version of this work.
In the 3rd century B.C., for spreading Buddhism, the Emperor Ashoka sent a special mission to Ceylon, led by his son Mahendra. In return, Tissa, the king of Sri Lanka, took his title – "Pleasing to the Gods" (Devanampia) in honor of Ashoka and erected the ancient Buddhist complex, including the rock temple of Isurumunia with a statue of the resting Gautama Buddha and a small pond. The bas-reliefs of elephants on the rock were carved by the 7th century A.D. The artist used a creative approach to the interpretation of what he saw: the rocks grew in size, and the cleft between them became a hidden entrance with steps to the ancient Ashram, which is guarded by elephants, as symbols of divine wisdom. A small man-made pond with green water turned into a rather impressive water body, on which a boat with two people seemed very small in comparison with a majestic temple, where people learnt and kept the covenants of the Teachings of the Blessed Buddha.