2. Dordenma Buddha Statue – Kingdom of Bhutan
Location: Thimphu
Country: Kingdom of Bhutan
The giant sitting Buddha statue in the Kingdom of Bhutan is made of bronze and gilded, and is very striking when viewed from afar. The Buddha statue is located on top of a hill in Kuensel Phodrang Nature Park, overlooking the southern entrance to Thimphu Valley. Legend has it that in the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Buddha statue was built to fulfill an ancient prophecy that when the statue was completed it would bring an aura of peace and happiness to the whole world. Additionally, the statue is said to have been mentioned by Guru Padmasambhava, known by many as the “Second Buddha,” in the eighth century. We cannot know for sure whether the prophecy is true or not, however tourists around the world can come here to admire the giant Buddha Dordenma & 120,000 smaller Buddha statues kept inside the Dordenma Buddha statue.
This giant Shakyamuni Buddha statue has a height of 51.5 meters, making it one of the largest Buddha statues in the world. The statue is made of bronze and plated with gold. 125,000 smaller Buddha statues were placed inside the Dordenma Buddha statue. 100,000 statues are 20.32cm high and 25,000 statues are 30.48cm high. Like the Big Buddha, thousands of these small Buddhas are also gilded and made of bronze, a major reason why the statue cost nearly $100 million to build when it was built in 2015 to honor the Buddha's birth. 60th birthday of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan.
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