The 10 most impressive Buddha statues in the world!

Discover 10 statues of Buddha with extraordinary dimensions

Huge both in scale and beauty, these Pæan to the Buddhist faith all make a strong impression, whether you are a believer or not.

N ° 1 / The Great Buddhas of Monywa

Happy visitors to Monywa, 138 kilometers northwest of Mandalay, will have the chance to discover two Buddhas for the price of one - one standing, the other lying down. < br>
90 meters long , it is the largest reclining Buddha statue in the world. It houses a collection of 9,000 engravings illustrating the life of Buddha , which can be seen entering through a door on the back of the statue.

The Buddha standing directly behind him is 116 meters tall and is known as Laykyun Setkyar.

N ° 2 / Dordenma Buddha Statue

Made of bronze and gilded with gold , the Dordenma Buddha measures 51.5 meters and sits atop a hill of Kuenselphodrang Natural Park , overlooking the southern entrance to the Thimphu valley in Bhutan. It was built to fulfill an ancient prophecy which said that once a Buddha statue was built on this site, an aura of peace and happiness would spread throughout the world .

This has not happened yet, but in the meantime you can see the 120,000 smaller Buddhas there.

N ° 3 / The giant Buddha of Leshan

Looking serenely at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in Sichuan province, the Giant Buddha of Leshan is one of the most popular tourist sites in China thanks to its extraordinary proportions 71 meters high by 28 meters wide!

Carved on the side of a cliff in 713 BC. J.-C ., The statue was the idea of ​​a monk called Haithong , who hoped the statue would guide sailing ships through treacherous currents of rivers. Unfortunately, it ran out of funds and the statue was not completed until 90 years later.

N ° 4 / Fo Guang Shan monastery in Kaohsiung

Located at Ta Shu in Kaohsiung City, Fo Guan Sha Monastery n is the largest Taiwan Buddhist monastery. It is the seat of a new religious movement, founded in 1967, which promotes a new form of humanist Buddhism.

The monastery covers more than 30 hectares and includes a university and various shrines, the complex being dominated by a 36 meter high statue of Amitabha Buddha.

N ° 5 / The Great Ling Shan Buddha of Mashan

Over 88 meters tall , the Great Buddha of Ling Shan is a Amitabha Buddha in bronze. It was completed at the end of 1996, weighs over 700 tons, and is reached by climbing 99 steps.

In the heart of the Longshan Mountains, the statue is the ​​centerpiece of a Buddhist theme park which includes the Brahma Palace, the Mandala of the Five Mudras, the Sakyamuni of the Nine Bath Dragons and the Xiangfu Temple . It is best visited in the fall, when the trees and mountains are covered in dazzling fall colors.

It's not the size that matters!

Let it be said, not everyone has a living room with a ceiling height of 80 meters. But don't panic if you want to add your own Buddha statue to your interior, you will find the most popular here.

N ° 6 / The Daibutsu Buddha of Kamakura

Whether covered in snow or beautifully framed by cherry blossoms, the giant Daibutsu of Kamakura , sits serenely in southern Japan, eyes closed, desperately trying to stop the world from its 11.3 meters and 121 tons!

And who can blame him? Since it was cast in bronze in 1252 , it has survived everything nature threw at it, including a 15th century tsunami that swept away the temple that housed it

N ° 7 / The Buddha Gal Viharaya of Polonnaruwa

Carved on the face of a block of granite, the Buddha Gal Viharaya is 15 meters long is considered one of the most beautiful representations of the Buddha in the world.

You will find it in north-central Sri Lanka, at Polonnaruwa , a massive temple in stone which was the centerpiece of a fabulous garden city built by Parakramabahu the Great in the 12th century.

Wat Pho in Bangkok is a temple of superlatives. It is one of the largest and oldest temples in Bangkok, with the largest number of Buddha images in the country, and it is home to the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand.

The golden statue of the reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high . Its eyes and feet are decorated with engraved mother-of-pearl, and the soles of the feet exhibit the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.

N ° 10 / The Buddha of Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul

As impressive as the giant standing Buddha is from Bongeunsa temple , it is the frame that makes it really memorable . Looking serenely across the modern skyline of central Seoul, it is a beacon of calm and peace in an increasingly hectic world.

Founded in 794 , the temple has survived fire, war and city encroachment. In addition to its famous Buddha, the temple is also renowned for its unique "Temple Stay Program" , in which visitors can stay in the temple and lead the life of a monk.

The meaning of the Buddha statue postures

We have just introduced you to the 10 most impressive Buddha statues in the world . But do you know the meaning of the postures in which the Buddha was represented?

Discover in this article on the positions and postures of the Buddha the real meaning of these gestures mythical!