Buddharupa

10 Famous Buddha Statues

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• published: 05 Oct 2016
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10 Famous Buddha Statues The study of Buddhism has inspired some of the world’s most beautiful contributions to the world of art, most notable in the form of statues known as Buddharupa (literally, the form of the Awakened One) that adorn Buddhist temples of worship. Listed here are ten of the world’s most famous and beautiful statues celebrating the Awakened One and his message of peace. Some of these Buddha statues are among the largest in the world. A comparison between these and other great statues in the world can be found here. 10 Hussain Sagar Buddha Statue The Buddha statue situated at the center of an artificial lake in the city of Hyderabad is one of India’s most famous Buddha statues. This figure stands at a full 17 meters (56 feet) tall and weighs 320 tons. The single largest monolithic statue in all of India, it was sculpted by a group of artisans from a single piece of stone. Tragically, during the statue’s installation in 1992 the figure tipped over and fell into the lake, causing the death of 8 workers. The government recovered the statue and restored it to its full height and stature. 9 Tian Tan Buddha Statue Tian Tan Buddha sometimes locally referred to as the Big Buddha, is located on Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. Fashioned of bronze and completed in 1993, The statue is the main feature of the Po Lin Monastery, symbolizing harmony between man, nature, people and religion. The statue is named Tian Tan Buddha because its base is a replica of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The statue sits on a lotus throne on top of a three tiered altar. At 34 meters (110 feet) tall, the Tian Tan Buddha is presented in a posture of serenity. His right hand is raised to remove affliction. His left hand rests on his knee, representing happiness. 8 Monywa Buddhas Monywa is a city in central Myanmar located on the banks of the Chindwin River. Just east of the city is the Po Khaung Taung, a range of hills where you can see the Monywa Buddha– the largest reclining Buddha statue in the world. This colossal figure measures 90 meters (300 feet) in length. The head alone is 60 feet high. The Monywa Buddha was constructed in 1991 and is hollow inside, allowing visitors to walk along from the head to the feet. Inside the figure are 9,000 one-foot-high metal images of the Buddha and his disciples, depicting various representations of important events in the Buddha’s life. Recently a gigantic standing Buddha statue was built on top of Po Kaung Hills. At 132 meter (433 feet) high it is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world. 7 Ayutthaya Buddha Head Thailand’s city of Ayutthaya is the location of one of the world’s most unusual Buddhist statues. Among the ruins of Wat Mahathat (The Temple of the Great Relic) is the remains of a sandstone statue of the Buddha whose body has been lost to the ages but whose head rests appropriately in the climbing roots and vines of a tree. Around this famous figure are many other stature of the Ayutthaya period which have survived the ravages of time. 6 Gal Viharaya Located in north central Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the site of one of the most breathtaking of the world’s representations of the Buddha – the Gal Gal Viharaya. This massive rock temple was constructed by Parakramabahu the Great in the 12th century. The central attraction of the temples are 4 large Buddha statues carved into the face of a granite boulder. Among these giant stone figures are a reclining statue of the Buddha that measures 14 meters (46 feet) in length and a standing figure measuring 7 meters (23 feet) high. 5 Ushiku Daibutsu The Ushiku Daibutsu is located in the city of Ushiku in Japan. Finished in 1995, the figure is one of the world’s tallest statues, standing a total of 120 meters (394 feet) high including the 10m (30 foot) base and 10m high lotus platform. Visitors to the Buddha statue can take an elevator to a platform where an observation deck is situated. The bronze-plated figure depicts Amitabha Buddha, and is also known as Ushiku Arcadia. 4 Temple of the Reclining Buddha