Buddhist scriptures give significance to simplicity, leaving behind all the negativity and ill thoughts. Buddhism follows the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who took birth as Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini in 567BCE. Born into a royal family, he had all the luxuries of life but the experiences made him realise spirituality and the essence of true happiness that lies away from materialistic objects. The Prince then gave away all his wealth and went out to seek what he truly wanted.
Buddhism is about Buddha’s ideologies; karma, compassion and wisdom, and enlightenment. Buddhist temples have a peaceful environment with prayer bells, Buddhist paintings depicting tales, Buddhist literature and holy chants. Unlike other religion, Buddhism does not necessarily believe is worshipping the statue. Rather, the Buddhists sit barefoot in front of the statue and offer prayer. Here is a list of Buddha Statues that you must see once in your life.
SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA was a sovereign in India around 500 BC who set out to find significance in the enduring he saw. When he discovered enlightenment, he started to spread his way of thinking. He ended up known as Buddha, a title, since given to other people, that signifies “stirred one”. Here is the list of 16 Famous Buddha Statues:
Famous Buddha Statues In The World
1. SPRING TEMPLE BUDDHA, HENAN, CHINA
Spring Temple Buddha in Henan, China definitely tops the list. And it will truly amaze your sight. Standing tall at a height of 420 feet, above a lotus-shaped pedestal of 66 feet, this statue has been placed in the Guinness Book of World records for being the largest statue in the world. The enormous Buddha statue is built with 108kg of gold, 3,300 tonnes of copper alloy and 15,000 tonnes of steel. The diamond seat below the pedestal contains 6,666 small Buddha statues. Visitors can climb up and touch the toes of the Spring Temple Buddha.
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2. MONYWA BUDDHA, MONYWA, MYANMAR
Monywa Township is a place of spiritual interaction. Monywa Buddha is the second tallest statue. Wrapped in a golden rope, the towering tall standing Buddha statue can be seen from far away. Built-in 2008, the statue is 423 feet tall. It comprises 31 stories that represent 31 planes of existence. The beauty and divinity of the statue can’t be described in mere words. Below it lays the reclining statue that is 312 feet long. That’s not all; the garden is filled with numerous Buddha statues sitting in the same position.
Monywa is a city in focal Myanmar situated on the banks of the Chindwin River. Only east of the city is the Po Khaung Taung, a scope of slopes where you can see the Monywa Buddha–the biggest leaning back Buddha statue on the planet. This huge figure estimates 90 meters (300 feet) long. The head alone is 60 feet high. The Monywa Buddha was built in 1991 and is empty inside, enabling guests to stroll along from the head to the feet. Inside the figure are 9,000 one-foot-high metal pictures of the Buddha and his supporters, delineating different portrayals of significant occasions in the Buddha’s life. As of late an immense standing Buddha statue was based over Po Kaung Hills. At 132 meters (433 feet) high it is one of the biggest Buddha statues on the planet.
3. LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA, CHINA
Leshan Giant Buddha is 232.94 feet tall and has been honored as the largest Maitreya Buddha statue in ten worlds. It is also a World Heritage site declared by UNESCO. The giant Buddha was carved from the mountain and faces the Leshan City. The river below its feet appears as a part holy ritual to wash Buddha’s feet. Completed in 803 AD, the statue in China is well maintained due to the dynamic design and structure.
The Giant Buddha of Leshan is a huge Buddha statue cut out of a precipice face in Sichuan, western China. The incredible model is a figure of Maitreya — a Bodhisattva customarily spoke to in sitting stance. Started in the year 713 during the Tang Dynasty, the statue was not finished until the year 803 and was the exertion of thousands of stone carvers and laborers. As the greatest cut stone Buddha on the planet, the Leshan Giant Buddha is highlighted in verse, tune and story. The model has a height of 71 meters from top to bottom and has 3 meter long fingers on all of its enormous resting hands. Today it is a famous vacation spot in China.
4. DAIBUTSU AT TODAI-JI, NARA, JAPAN
Todai-Ji holds an integral part in the history of Japanese culture and history. And Daibutsu in its complexity is the World’s largest bronze statue. The statue 49.29 feet tall sits in a position that represents Vairocana. There are many other attractions, like a pillar that has a hole in its base which is as big as the nostril of Daibutsu. Sika deer that are considered to be the messengers of God move here freely. You can also visit the Todaiji Museum, Hokkedo Hall, Kaidanin Temple, and etcetera.
5. WAT PHO, BANGKOK
Wat Pho, the oldest temple in Bangkok has the magnificent statue of the reclining Buddha. Build during the rule of King Rama III, the statue represents Gautama Buddha lying down before entering parinirvana. The gold plated Reclining statue is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. The feet are 5 meters long and delicately decorated. That’s not all, the temple complex and hundreds of Buddha statues.
6. TEMPLE OF EMERALD BUDDHA, THAILAND
The most sacred Buddha temple in Thailand, Wat Phra Kaew or The temple of Emerald Buddha is truly mesmerising. Situated in Phra Nakhon district, the temple is within the premises of Grand Palace. The Emerald Buddha statue is in the colour dark green and measures 66 centimetres tall. Sitting in a meditation position, the Buddha statue is made from a single dark green jade. Every season, the attire of Buddha is changed by the Prince.
Another of Bangkok’s Buddhist sanctuaries is Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, situated inside the grounds of the Grand Palace. The principle building is the focal ubosoth, which houses The Emerald Buddha, one of the most established and most well known Buddha statues on the planet.
A jade statue embellished in gold dress, the Emerald Buddha was, as indicated by legend, made in India in 43 BC in the city of Pataliputra, where it stayed for a long time. In the fourth century AD it was removed to Sri Lanka by Buddhist priests to spare it from obliteration by war. Inevitably the statue advanced toward Thailand and was moved to Wat Phra Kaew in 1779. The statue has three unique arrangements of gold apparel, which are changed by the King of Thailand in a service at the changing of the seasons.
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7. GREAT BUDDHA OF KAMAKURA, JAPAN
Dating back to 1252, The Great Buddha of Kamakura was once inside a temple until a Tsunami destroyed it and then the statue was housed in the open air. Back then, it was entirely gold plated, but as centuries have passed by, the shine has also faded, except graces of gold near its ears. There were also 32 bronze lotus petals at the base, 4 out of which remain today. The huge bronze statue (now) representing the Amida Buddha weighs 93 tons and is 13.35 metres tall. Well, visitors can even enter inside the Buddha statue.
The Kotoku-in is a Buddhist sanctuary of the Jodo shu order situated in the city of Kamakura in Japan. The sanctuary is celebrated for its extraordinary Buddhist statue. A titanic outside portrayal of Amida Buddha, a standout amongst Japan’s most observed Buddhist figures. Cast in bronze, the Great Buddha remains at more than 13 meters (40 feet) high and weighs about 93 tons.
The statue allegedly dates from 1252 and is, for the most part, accepted to have been thrown by the Buddhist priest Joko, who likewise gathered gifts to assemble it. In spite of the fact that it initially was housed in a little wooden sanctuary, the Great Buddha presently remains in the outside as the first sanctuary was washed away in a torrent in the fifteenth century.
8. AYUTTHAYA BUDDHA HEAD, THAILAND
Wat Mahathat in Ayutthaya is a famous Buddhist site in Thailand. But what makes it more interesting is its rich history. Once a temple, Ayutthaya was attacked by the Burmese Army in 1767 and it came down to nothing but ruins. It was in the 1950s when the restoration work began. Even if the temple was entirely damaged, the stone Buddha head was there, tangled by a huge tree. The theory still lies undiscovered but the site is a major tourist attraction.
Thailand’s city of Ayutthaya is the area of one of the world’s most strange Buddhist statues. Among the vestiges of Wat Mahathat (The Temple of the Great Relic) is the remaining parts of a sandstone statue of the Buddha whose body has been lost to the ages yet whose headrests properly in the climbing roots and vines of a tree. Around this acclaimed figure is numerous other stature of the Ayutthaya time frame which has endured the assaults of time.
9. GAL VIHARA, SRI LANKA
The UNESCO World Heritage site at Polonnaruwa presents you the sight of Gal Vihara’s four cave shrines. Apparently, all of the Buddha statues were cut from a single slab of granite. Cave of Vijjadharas, The Excavated Cave, The cave of Standing Image and The cave of reclining image. The 7m tall statue of Buddha that is in the “Cave of Standing Image” and the 14 m long reclining Buddha are the most magnificent out of all.
10. USHIKU DAIBUTSU, USHIKU, JAPAN
Situated in the city of Tsukuba, Ushiku Daibutsu is a major attraction. The former tallest Buddhist statue in the world, Ushiku Daibutsu is 120m tall. And if you think that’s all then you must reconsider. The bronze statue weighs 4000 tons. The Ushiku Daibutsu tour includes visitors going into the various exhibition halls on the first and second floors. The most fascinating one being the ‘World of the Lotus Sanctuary’ that has over 3000 gold Buddha statues.
The Ushiku Daibutsu is situated in the city of Ushiku in Japan. Completed in 1995, the figure is one of the world’s tallest statues, standing a sum of 120 meters (394 feet) high including the 10m (30 foot) base and 10m high lotus stage. Guests to the Buddha statue can take a lift to a stage where a perception deck is arranged. The bronze-plated figure outlines Amitabha Buddha and is generally called Ushiku Arcadia.
11. Hussain Sagar Buddha Statue, Hyderabad, India
Hussain Sagar Buddha Statue is a monolith situated in India. Also, it is the world’s tallest monolith of Gautama Buddha, erected on Gibraltar Rock in the middle of Hussain Sagar. The statue stands on a concrete platform measuring 15 feet tall and this platform known as the “Rock of Gibraltar” and was constructed in the middle of Hussain Sagar. The statue was sanctioned by the Sri Late N. T. Rama Rao between 1983 and 1989 who was serving as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Now it is part of Telangana which was separated from Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014.
The Buddha statue arranged at the focal point of a fake lake in the city of Hyderabad is a standout amongst India’s most well known Buddha statues. This figure remains at an entire 17 meters (56 feet) tall and weighs 320 tons. The single biggest solid statue in all of India, it was etched by a gathering of craftsmen from a solitary bit of stone. Deplorably, during the statue’s establishment in 1992, the figure spilled and fell into the lake, causing the passing of 8 specialists. The administration recuperated the statue and reestablished it to its full tallness and stature.
12. Tian Tan Buddha Statue, Hong Kong, China
One of the famous Buddha statues, Tian Tan Buddha Statue situated on the Ngong Ping, Lantau Island and the construction was completed in 1993. The giant and bronze statue is termed as the epicentre of Buddhism in Hong Kong and gives the message of faith and people, man and nature. The base of the statue was constructed in the model of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It is also listed as one of China’s five large Buddha statues and made up of three platforms and resembles a lotus.
Tian Tan Buddha now and again privately alluded to as the Big Buddha, is situated on Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. Formed of bronze and finished in 1993, The statue is the primary element of the Po Lin Monastery, symbolizing amicability between man, nature, individuals, and religion. The statue sits on a lotus position of royalty over a three-layered special stepped area. At 34 meters (110 feet) tall, the Tian Tan Buddha is exhibited in a stance of peacefulness. His correct hand is raised to expel pain. His left-hand lay on his knee, speaking to joy.
13. Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand
Also known as the Wat Pho situated in the district of Phra Nakhon in Bangkok. It is popularly known as the Grand Palace of Thailand and it is an amazing prediction of thai traditional culture and massage. The temple is one of the oldest and biggest temples in the Bangkok area located around eighty thousand square meters and in this area there are approximately a thousand images of Buddha as well as the ever famous Phra Buddhasaiyas or the reclining Buddha. The statue is forty-six meters wide and fifteen meters tall with gold plating as its decorations and eyes made of mother of pearl.
Situated in Bangkok, Wat Pho is renowned for the enormous Reclining Buddha statue it houses. It is one of the biggest sanctuaries in Bangkok and furthermore one of the most seasoned, developed about 200 years before Bangkok turned into Thailand’s capital. Wat Pho holds the qualification of having both Thailand’s biggest leaning back Buddha picture and the biggest number of Buddha pictures in Thailand. The gold-plated Reclining Buddha statue is 46 meters in length and 15 meters high and remembers the death of the Buddha into Nirvana. The statue’s eyes and feet are enlivened with engraved mother of pearl, the bottoms of the feet showing the 108 favorable qualities of the genuine Buddha.
14. Buddha Dordenma, Thimphu, Bhutan
The statue is situated at the top of the hill in Thimphu which is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. The gigantic Budha statue in the mountains of Bhutan celebrating the 60th anniversary of fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The height of the statue is 51.5 m and that it one of the largest statues of Budha in the world. The statues were completely made of Bronze and are gilded in gold. There are 125,000 smaller Buddha statues that have been placed within the Buddha Dordenma statue and 100,000 statues of which are 8-inches-tall and 25,000 statues of which are 12 inches tall.
15. Grand Buddha at Ling Shan, Wuxi, China
The Grand Budha statue situated in the south of the Longshan Mountain, near Mashan, the town of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China and listed as one of the largest statues of Budha in China and across the globe. The statue located at the Ling Shan is a bronze Amitabha standing Buddha outdoor and was completed at the end of 1996. The height of the statue is 88 meters that include 9 m lotus pedestal.
16. Gal Vihara, Nissankamallapura, Sri Lanka
Situated in north focal Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the site of a standout amongst the most amazing of the world’s portrayals of the Buddha – the Gal Viharaya. This huge shake sanctuary was built by Parakramabahu the Great in the twelfth century. The focal fascination of the sanctuary are 4 enormous Buddha statues cut into the essence of rock stone. Among these mammoth stone, figures are a leaning back statue of the Buddha that estimates 14 meters (46 feet) long and a standing figure estimating 7 meters (23 feet) high.
These are the 18 Most Famous Buddha Statues in the world. They are not only great tourist attractions but also a hub of spirituality and intellectuality.
