Great Buddha (Bodh Gaya)

The Great Buddha statue is one of the many stops on the Buddhist pilgrimage and tourist routes in Bodh Gaya, Bihar (India). The statue is 19.5 m (64 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 feet (24 m) of which the Buddha makes up 64 feet (20 m), the lotus on which the Buddha sits 6 feet (1.8 m) and the lower pedestal 10 feet (3.0 m). 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 is possibly the largest Buddha statue in India at the time and was consecrated on 18 November 1989 by the 14th Dalai Lama.[6] The foundation stone for the statue was laid in 1982.[6]

Great Buddha
The Great Buddha at Bodh Gaya
Great Buddha
Location of The Great Buddha, Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India
ArtistV. Ganapati Sthapati
Year1982 (1982) (started)
18 November 1989 (inaugurated)
TypeStatue
MediumThe mix of sandstone blocks and red granit.
Dimensions19.507 m (64.00 ft) high /the height of the lotus 6 ft
LocationBodh Gaya, India
Coordinates24°41′0″N 85°2′0″E
OwnerDaijokyo Buddhist Temple

References
  1. "Daijokyo Buddhist Temple". daijokyo.or.jp.
  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. "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.


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