Great Buddha Statue

The Great Buddha Statue is a huge statue that is situated in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, 1.5 km from Mahabodhi Temple and 1 km from Bodhgaya Bus Station. It is among the top places to visit as part of the Buddhist Circuit in India and one of the tallest monuments in the country.

The Great Buddha Statue is the first Buddha statue ever constructed in India and is around 25 metres tall. The XIV Dalai Lama dedicated the statue in 1989, after it had been under construction since 1982. The stunning sculpture, made of red granite and sandstone, depicts Lord Buddha meditating atop a flowering lotus. The statue includes 20,000 metal Buddhas inside, some of which are hollow.

The tranquil atmosphere and the beauty of the statue, which is surrounded by ten smaller sculptures of Buddha’s followers, draw thousands of visitors from all over the world each year. The ten standing statues were dedicated in two stages: in 1993 for Sariputta and Mahamoggallana, and in 1996 for the other eight famous disciples: Mahakassapa, Subhuti, Punna, Mahakaccana, Anuruddha, Upali, Rahula, and Ananda. The ten statues are made of the same Chunar sandstone that was used to create the Great Buddha Statue, which is located close to Benares.

It was created specifically so that followers might disseminate Buddhism and the teachings of Gautama Buddha. Additionally, one can go to the Daijokyo Buddhist Temple, which houses the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, Visistacaritra, Anantacaritra, Visuddhacaritra, and Supratisthitacaritra, as well as other important Daijokyo pictures.