Great Buddha Statue, Bodhgaya, Bihar India

This impressive statue of the Buddha is a colossal 80 feet high structure. It has the Buddha sitting on a giant Lotus and meditating peacefully in the Dhyana Mudra.The statue is a beautiful creation and is a collage of granite and sandstone blocks. 120000 masons toiled night and day for seven years to complete the statue. It was built to spread the message of Buddhism and aimed at world peace.
And peace indeed it gives you when you stand in front of the Buddha and stare at him. The atmosphere is serene and peaceful. The greatness of the Lord is embodied in the statue.

The Statue is now a symbol of the holy place Bodhgaya, next to Mahabohdi Temple which is a World Heritage site, and enjoys constant visits of pilgrims from all over the world. Among local people, it is nicknamed "the 80-foot (25-meter) Buddha Statue." Under the slogan "Spread Buddha's rays to the Whole World," Daijokyo spent seven years on construction of the Great Buddha Statue, mobilizing 120,000 masons in total.

Many monasteries surround it and they are supported by Buddhist countries like Thailand, Burma, Japan and others.The Maha Bodhi tree is a peepal tree that stands at a regal 80 feet in the Maha Bodhi complex. It is a fifth generation plant of the original peepal tree, under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. It is revered by the Buddhists.

The Maha Bodhi Temple is truly magnificent. It was constructed by the great Mauryan emperor, Ashoka. The Temple is not only a pilgrim site for the Buddhists. Truly, secular, it contains within its vicinity a Shiva lingam too, apart from an image of the Buddha and a huge tower. The Shaivite Monastery may be found next to the Maha Bodhi temple. It consists of four temples and several samadhis. The great Adi Shankaracharya, who was the religious head of the Hindus in the medieval period had a heated discussion with the Buddhists in this very same place.

On November 18, 1989, the first great Buddha ever built in the history of India was unveiled and consecrated. His Holiness, the XIVth Dalai Lama presided over the consecration ceremony. The 25-meter figurine is a beacon of peace and tranquility.
The project had a noble purpose. And that was to spread world peace. Operating under the slogan, 'Spread Buddha's rays to the Whole World', it was constructed with the support of the Daijokyo Sect of Japan.

An impressive statue of the Buddha sits on a hillside park overlooking the small city of Changhua, roughly 18 kilometers southwest of Taichung. Visitors can view the nearby area through the eyes of the 86-foot-high hollow statue. The Great Buddha statue is a standing ovation to the greatness that the Buddha was. No wonder visitors from the world here throng here to capture some of the peace and tranquility that the statue exemplifies. This grand statue is an eclectic mix of granite and sandstone blocks. It is a mammoth 80 feet high.