883. Buddha statue at Tian Tan Temple,

finished Dec 29, 1993, Hong Kong,

bronze, height: 34 m.

 

 

Tian Tan Buddha

 

The Tian Tan Buddha, or “Big Buddha,” is an enormous bronze statue of the seated Amitabha Buddha, located on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It is meant to represent harmony between man, nature and religion. The statue was completed in 1993, and its situation near Po Lin Monastery quickly established the monument as a centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong and a popular tourist attraction.

The construction of the Tian Tan Buddha began in 1990, cost an estimated $68 million and ended three years later on the birthday of the historical Gautama Buddha. The construction techniques involved 202 individual bronze pieces, welded and reinforced by a steel skeleton built to withstand high winds and bear the massive weight. This Buddha is one of the largest Buddhist sculptures in China. Weighing 250 tons and sitting 34 metres tall, it can supposedly be seen from as far away as Macau on a clear day. Visitors of the monuments must climb 268 steps to reach the top of the statue’s pedestal. There are three storeys beneath the seated Buddha, known as The Hall of the Universe, The Hall of Benevolent Merit, and The Hall of Remembrance.

The base is modelled after the statue’s namesake, the Earthly Mount of Tian Tan (the Temple of Heaven) in Beijing. On the pedestal, there is a lotus throne carrying the Buddha and six smaller statues of gods or Gautama’s disciples. The Buddha himself has an elegant, peaceful countenance, and a graceful posture. The lifted right hand communicates the end to suffering, while his left hand rests in his lap, a sign of meditation. Unlike most other figures of the Buddha, which face south, the Tian Tan Buddha faces north.

Inside the base of the giant bronze sculpture, among other artefacts, there is a relic allegedly holding some of the cremated remains of the Gautama Buddha and an enormous bell with carvings of different incarnations of the Enlightened One. The bell chimes every seven minutes, 108 times a day, as a symbol of the 108 human grievances that are released through the way of the Buddha.