Buddhism is professed by hundreds of millions of people on our planet, so it is not surprising that the largest number of statues in the world are dedicated to the Buddha. What if not a sculptural monument - the most impressive testimony of faith, bearing a legacy to future generations? Today we will tell you about the most interesting, majestic and most beautiful statues of Buddha, striking in its versatility.
1
Giant Buddha Statue in Leshan - Sichuan, PRC
The height of this statue exceeds 70 meters, which makes it one of the tallest in the world. The Big Buddha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sculpture itself is carved in Lingyushan Mountain, and it is the highest monument to the Buddha. The beginning of the “construction” of the statue dates back to the beginning of the VIII century; in total, the work took about 90 years. The face of the Buddha is Maitreya, the embodiment of a deity that has appeared in our world. It is interesting that earlier only the head was visible to people, since its body was hiding the temple, completely destroyed by fire during a fire in the XVII century. Despite the fact that nature (strong winds and precipitation) changed the appearance of the statue, it still amazes the imagination with the accuracy of lines and the skill of people involved in sandstone cutting. Just think about it, one finger on the hand has a length of about 8 meters, and the nose of the deity is extended by five and a half meters.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru you can admire 10 gloomy images of gods from different nations of the world.
2
Tiantan Buddha - Lantau Island, Hong Kong
The construction of the Big Buddha, as this landmark of the island of Lantau is also called, began in the 90s of the XX century. One of the youngest statues of our rating on most-beauty.ru is made of bronze, and its weight is 250 tons. Tiantan Buddha symbolizes harmony in the relationship between the world and man, as well as man and religion. The deity is represented sitting on a lotus in the same pose near the Po Lin Monastery, which is a pilgrimage site for hundreds of thousands of Buddhists and millions of tourists. If you have the opportunity to visit Hong Kong, be sure to get to Lantau Island and overcome the 268 steps leading to a magnificent sculpture. Its scale, as well as the view of the surroundings, opening from the platform at the base of the Big Buddha, cannot leave you indifferent.
3
Wat Pho - Bangkok, Thailand
The second name of this holy place for Buddhists is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It is located in the capital of Thailand on the island of Rattanakosin. Despite the fact that the territory of the temple is decorated with many images of the Buddha (more than 1000), the most famous is the monument to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of a religious movement. The Golden Buddha is depicted lying, waiting for nirvana. The length of the statue exceeds 45 meters, while it is completely under the roof, occupying one of the halls of the temple complex. Feet are decorated with 108 mother-of-pearl ornaments, and glass mosaic patterns intertwine around the head.
4
Kamakura Daybutsu - Kamakura, Japan
This Buddha statue is installed in the Japanese Kokotu-in temple, located at the jodo school, which is in relative proximity to the metropolitan Tokyo. The statue is made of bronze, it plays a huge role in the life of the religious community of Japan, professing Buddhism. And also recently, UNESCO is going to take the "Big Buddha" from Kamakura under its protection. The exact date of the construction of the statue is unknown, however, historians suggest that it appeared on the temple from the middle of the XIII century. This is also indicated by the records of the monks found in the temple. The weight of the monument is 93 tons, which is somewhat surprising, since its height is slightly more than 13 meters. The relative lightness of the statue is explained by the fact that it is hollow, which allows numerous tourists to explore not only the territory outside, but also inside the statue. Humble Japanese charge a minimal admission fee, allowing everyone to see a man-made miracle.
5
Dordenma Buddha - Thimphu, Bhutan
This massive statue is made of bronze with gold plating, and this is one of the main attractions of the capital of Bhutan, which is visited by thousands of tourists every year. The height of Buddha Dordenma is 51.5 meters. With its mark of 2.5 thousand meters above sea level, this is the highest statue of this deity. At the foot of the natural park is Cuenzel Fodrang. Near the bronze-gold Buddha is a meditation center. The sculpture itself represents the Buddha Shakyamuni (middle name of Gautama Buddha), who twice gave a prophecy about the advent of peace and good luck, in the embodiment of the yogi Sonama Zangpo and Guru Padmasambhava. In the meditation hall there are about 100 thousand statues and statuettes of a smaller Buddha made of gold and bronze.
6
Gal Vihara - Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
The temple complex in Gal Vihara in the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa “sheltered” several magnificent Buddha statues at once. However, the most famous of them is the 14-meter Buddha, depicted lying. It is one of the longest statues in South Asia. The right hand and the right leg of the deity are decorated with lotus flowers, which symbolizes purity, and the pose in which the Buddha is represented is called parinirvana, symbolizing the period after the attainment of enlightenment. Perhaps the statue features marble veins in granite, which makes it one of the main creations of Sinhalese craftsmen found in Sri Lanka.
7
Big Buddha at Linshan - Wuxi, China
The height of this Buddha reaches 88 meters, making it one of the highest statues in the world made of bronze. The weight of Gautam Buddha, namely, it rises on Linshan Hill, is about 700 tons. All works on the construction of the statue were completed in the late 90s of the XX century. Now, every tourist who visits the Chinese city of Wuxi can make a small detour to admire the smile of the Big Buddha, surrounded by the picturesque nature around the hill. The right hand of the deity is raised with the palm forward, which means a gesture of fearlessness. The tallest bronze Buddha is an hour and a half drive from Shanghai. Annually attracts thousands of tourists, climbing 216 steps, to climb to the base of the monument and enjoy the beautiful view from the hill.
8
Golden Buddha - Pakse, Laos
Buddhism is considered the main and most widespread religion of Laos, so it is not surprising that this small country of Southeast Asia has one of the most impressive Buddha statues. It is built on top of a hill, not far from the banks of the Mekong River. Next to the statue is the temple of Wat Phu Salao, where every year not only Laos residents come, but also Buddhists from all over the world. The “Golden Buddha” in Pakse was erected in 2013, as evidenced by the natural golden shine, since the statue has not yet had time to undergo the test of time. To see it, you will have to overcome a rather difficult path, which includes a country road, winding up the hill, as well as a staircase leading directly to the base of the monument.
By the way, there is a very interesting article on the most beautiful stairs on Earth on the site most-beauty.ru.
9
Usiku Daybutsu - Usiku, Japan
Just imagine - the height of the Buddha statue in Japanese Ushik is 100 meters, and with a pedestal even higher - 120 meters! This makes her the tallest bronze statue in the world and one of the tallest in general. The monument is a sculpture of Buddha Amitabha, who froze on a lotus flower with an open palm. For everyone who wants to go up, there is an elevator that goes up 88 meters, where the observation deck is located. This statue was created in honor of the Buddhist monk Shinran, who became the organizers and ideological leader of one of the branches of Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu. It is an hour and a half drive from Tokyo (about 50 km), which allows hundreds of tourists to plan a one-day “pilgrimage” to this attraction. Interestingly, if you disassemble the monument, you can count about 6 thousand bronze plates with a total weight of 4 thousand tons.
10
Lejun-Sasazha - Khatakan Taung, Myanmar
Hunters for sightseeing can see in the Maha Bodhi Takhtaung monastery in Myanmar, not one, but two majestic and very beautiful Buddha statues. As you approach Lechzhun-Sasazha, a 116-meter-high Buddha appears before you. Later, at his feet, you can see the reclining Buddha, who appeared here before his "colleague". Both statues were built over a four-year period between 1991 and 1995. For a while, the standing Buddha was even considered the tallest statue in the world. Although both monuments are striking in their grandeur. More popular among tourists is the vertical image of Lechzhun-Sasachzha. It not only attracts with its brilliant facade, but also with the richness of the interior, inside you will find 31 floors, each of which represents the life cycle of a Buddhist. It is not surprising that all floors are decorated with various frescoes that personify a certain stage of life.
11
Buddha head in tree roots - Ayutthaya, Thailand
This Buddha statue is not the tallest, not the richest, however, when you see it, you will be delighted. Previously, it belonged to the temple of Phra Mahathat, built in the 14th century in Ayutthaya. Now only ruins remained from the temple, since it was burnt by the Burmese in the second half of the 18th century. The place is protected by UNESCO, protecting the temple from robbers and vandals. The statue itself is a head looking out from the roots of a Bodhi tree, which is considered a symbol of enlightenment in Buddhism. For 250 years, the roots of the tree “enveloped” a sandstone bust, which makes the monument a truly unique heritage of Thai culture.