Daijokyo Buddhist Temple: Great Buddha

INDIA, Bihar, Bodhgaya

This statue is one of the tallest seated Buddha statue in India and consists of a 3 m pedestal surmounted by a 2 m lotus throne on which sits the 20 m figure. The figure is carved from pink Chunar sandstone, the lotus from yellow Chunar sandstone, and the pedestal from red Chunar granite. The statue is partially hollow and internally strengthened by concrete pillars. It is said to contain 20,000 bronze Buddhas. The foundation stone was laid in 1982 and the work was conducted by 12,000 masons under the direction of Ganpathy Sathpathy from Chennai and Rishikesh Dasgupta from Kolkata. The statue was officially opened to the public in 1989.
The figure is composed of squared blocks and the lotus throne is square in shape. Buddha characteristics include a mounded usnisa, an urna stud, and large ears with hollowed elongations. The hair is carved with stylized ringlets. The Buddha wears a Japanese style monastic robe that opens to expose the chest and then descends to cover the crossed legs. The hands in the lap rest in the dhyana (meditation) mudra. The ten chief disciples standing on either side of the statue were added during the 1990s.