Great Buddha (Bodh Gaya)

The Great Buddha statue (Daibutsu) is one of the popular stops on the Buddhist pilgrimage and tourist routes in Bodh Gaya, Bihar (India). The statue is 18.5 m (61 ft)^[1] high representing the Buddha seated in a meditation pose, or dhyana mudra, on a lotus in the open air.^[2] The total height of the construction is 80 ft (24 m) of which the Buddha makes up 64 ft (20 m), the lotus on which the Buddha sits 5 ft (1.5 m) and the lower pedestal 10 ft (3.0 m). The construction's width is nearly 60 ft (18 m) at its maximum. The statue was designed by V. Ganapati Sthapati^[3] and took seven years to complete using the labor of 12,000 stonemasons. It is constructed from a combination of sandstone and red granite blocks.^[4] A hollow spiral staircase inside the statue leads from the ground up to the chest. Shelves on the interior walls display 16,300 small bronze images of the Buddha.^[5] The Great Buddha statue is located in a garden at the end of Temple Street and is surrounded by smaller sculptures of Buddha's ten principal disciples, five on each side.^[6] The Great Buddha was possibly the largest Buddha statue in India at the time and was consecrated on 18 November 1989 by the 14th Dalai Lama.^[7] The foundation stone for the statue was laid in 1982.^[7]

The Great Buddha
The Great Buddha at Bodh Gaya
The Great Buddha Location of The Great Buddha, Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India
Artist	V. Ganapati Sthapati
Year	1982 (1982) (started) 18 November 1989 (inaugurated)
Type	Statue
Medium	Mix of sandstone blocks and red granite.
Dimensions	19.5 m (64 ft) high /the height of the lotus 6 ft
Location	Bodh Gaya, India
Coordinates	24°41′25.7″N 84°58′54.5″E
Owner	Daijokyo Buddhist Temple

References

1. "Daijokyo Buddhist Temple". daijokyo.or.jp. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
2. "The Great Buddha Statue in Bodhgaya, India". great-buddha-statue.com.
3. Geary, David (2017). The Rebirth of Bodh Gaya: Buddhism and the Making of a World Heritage Site. University of Washington Press. p. 68. ISBN 9780295742380.
4. "Bodh Gaya City Information". holidaymasti.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
5. Geary (2017), p. 68.
6. "Great Buddha Statue". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
7. "Buddhist devotees participate in 20th anniversary celebrations of Buddha statue in Gaya". Thaindian News. 22 November 2007. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019.

External links