Tian Tan Buddha

The so-called Tian Tan Buddha (Chinese天坛 大佛) is a bronze Buddha statue at Ngong Ping on Lantau in Hong Kong Iceland. The also called Big Buddha sculpture is the world's largest free-standing statue of Buddha in a sitting posture. It is one of the five largest Buddha statues in China and the largest Buddhist monument in Hong Kong. It is located at Po Lin monastery on a mountain top and the harmonious relationship between man, nature and religion symbolize. As a popular tourist destination it attracts every year thousands of visitors.

Description

The Buddha statue is a representation of the Buddha Amitabha and is seated on a lotus throne on a three-tiered altar. Visitors can climb to the altar platform and circle the Buddha there. The figure itself is 34 meters high and weighs 250 tons. As with all Buddha statues hands are formed into so-called mudra. These gestures have specific symbolic meanings: The right hand is raised as a sign of rejection of suffering, the left hand rests in his lap in a gesture of giving. On the chest of Buddha bearing the swastika, a sacred symbol of good luck.

The Buddha statue is surrounded by eight smaller bronze statues representing the gods or immortals and hold up in the hands of each different symbolic objects in the direction of the Buddha. The statue is named Tian Tan Buddha because its base was designed based on the Altar of Heaven or the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Atypical for Buddha statues he also looks to the north, in the direction of Beijing.

Within the throne - dais and thus under which Buddha is a three-story exhibition hall.

In clear weather the Great Buddha can be seen even from Macao.

History

The construction of the Tian Tan Buddha in the late 1980s began. On December 29, 1993, the monument was dedicated, after the access roads were expanded. It was composed of 202 bronze parts. Inside of the statue, there is a strong steel frame, in order to withstand the large load of the outer cover and the wind pressure. The construction costs of the Giant Buddha was estimated at up to 68 million Hong Kong dollars.

Monks were invited from around the world at the opening ceremony, visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United States of America participated in the event.

On 18 October 1999, the Hong Kong Post Office issued a stamp showing the Tian Tan Buddha.

Visit and access

Visitors have to climb 268 steps to reach the platform below the lotus throne on which the Buddha sits. For the disabled there is a small, winding driveway up to the statue.

The Po Lin Monastery and the Buddha are open to the public 10:00 to 17:30 clock. Access to the Buddha is free. An entrance fee of 60 Hong Kong dollars will be charged for access to the exhibition halls beneath the Buddha. In it is included a vegetarian lunch. At the entrance there are several shops selling souvenirs.

The monastery is also known as the Buddhist kingdom in the south and serves as an international Buddhist retreat. It is one of the largest and probably the most famous in Hong Kong. The monastery was founded in 1924, after 1906 three Zen master had retired to this place. The main temples are decorated inside on the walls and ceilings with cinnabar paintings, showing the dragons and many other Chinese mythical motifs. Many visitors spend time in the adjacent tea garden. A footpath behind the tea garden leads to the path of wisdom, a path in the form of a lemniscate ( to symbolize infinity ) at which to many large pillars of wood, the Heart Sutra is engraved. If you climb up to the summit of the hill, you have a good view of the Tian Tan Buddha.

The Po Lin Monastery is located on a small plateau at about 520 m. Lantau Peak, the second highest mountain in Hong Kong, rises just behind the monastery.

Public transport

Visitors can reach Lantau either by ship or by the Mass Transit Railway. Ferries and hydrofoils run from Pier 6 in Central Hong Kong to Mui Wo, also known as Silver Mine Bay. From there a direct bus (line 2 ) to Ngong Ping. With the subway you drive up to the station Tung Chung. There you can either turn the bus to Ngong Ping take ( line 23), or you can take the cable car Ngong Ping 360 through pristine mountain scenery to the Buddha.

Comparison

Comparison with other large Buddha statues:

  • The highest Buddha statue in China
  • Standing Buddha Statue
  • Location: Wuxi, China
  • Material: Copper
  • Height: 88 m
  • The largest stone Buddha in the world
  • Location: at the confluence of the Min Jiang, Dadu and Qingyi He, China
  • Material: stone, hewn out of the rock
  • Height: 71 m
  • Width: 28 m ( between the shoulders)
  • Features: a 14.7 m high head; 100 people can sit in a line between the feet of the Buddha
  • More information
  • Location: Phuket, Thailand
  • Official name: Phra Buddha Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri
  • Height: 45 m
  • Completion: 2008
  • Location: Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan
  • Material: stone, hewn out of the rock
  • Height: 35 m and 55 m
  • Destroyed in March 2001
  • Location: Henan, China
  • Material: Stone
  • Height: 17.14 m
  • Location: Shanxi, China
  • Material: Stone
  • Height: 15 m
  • Location: Nara, Japan
  • Official name: RUSHANABUTSU
  • Material: Copper
  • Height: 16.2 m
  • Weight: 452 tons
  • Location: Kamakura, Japan
  • Official name: Daibutsu Amida
  • Material: Copper
  • Height: 13.35 m
  • Weight: 121 tons
Buddharupa Lemniscate of Bernoulli Gondola lift Bamyan Yungang Grottoes Kamakura, Kanagawa
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