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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 foundation stone for the statue was laid in 1982.

Entering the Budha Temple in Bodh Gaya.
The entrance is from the east.


An alley leads to the Great Buddha.
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.


Group photo.
The group decides to take a photo on the alley leading to the Great Buddha.


The Buddha is seated in a meditation pose.
The statue is 18.5 m (61 ft) high representing the Buddha seated in a meditation pose, or dhyana mudra, on a lotus in the open air.


The 80 Feet Buddha.
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.

Designed by V. Ganapati Sthapati.
The statue was designed by V. Ganapati Sthapati 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.

Hollow up to the chest.
A hollow spiral staircase inside the statue leads from the ground up to the chest.


Small Buddha images inside.
Shelves on the interior walls display 16,300 small bronze images of the Buddha.


Consecrated by the Dalai Lama.
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.


See also

Source

Location

Location: Giant Buddha Rd, near 80-Ft. Buddha Statue, Bodh Gaya, Bihar 824231, India