Lord Buddha statute at Sarnath

Statute of standing Lord Buddha at Sarnath:

Location: Thai Buddha Vihar Near ASI Museum, Sarnath
Period of Construction: 14 yrs (1997-2011)
Height of Buddha Statue: 80 ft; tallest standing statue of Lord Buddha in India

One of the main attractions of Sarnath is the 80 ft high statue of Buddha. It isIndia’s tallest standing statue of Lord Buddha. It took 14 years to contruct this statue. The work on the statue was started in 1997 and it was unveiled in 2011. This standing statue of Buddha is located on the premises of Thai Buddha Vihar in Sarnath.

This 80-ft Buddha statue made from sandstone is a result of joint efforts betweenIndiaandThailand. The standing statue of Lord Buddha is built over an area of 2.5 acre inside the premises of Thai Buddha Vihar (earlier known as Mrigdayavan Mahavihar Society).

The Idea Behind the Statue
A joint Indo-Thai project, the idea of construction of the Buddha statue was first conceived in 1970 at the time of formation of society. The founder members of the society, Rasmi Shashan (a Buddhist monk of Indian origin) and Prakash Samadhiguna (monk of Thai origin) decided to build a standing statue of Lord Buddha at Sarnath, where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon.

The construction of statue is said to have started as a gesture to protest the destruction of Buddhist statues in many parts of the world. Located in the confines of the Thai Temple in Sarnath, the statue consists of as many as 815 stones. There is a beautiful garden around the statue that compliments the overall surroundings.

The work of construction of the statue at Thai Buddha Vihar was started in 1997 and the cutting, polishing and carving of stones took almost five years. Due to some financial difficulties, the construction work was stopped for about three years but the work resumed in November of 2006.

Nearly Rs 2 crore was spent on the entire construction work. The money was contributed by a number of Buddhist and non-Buddhist organisations and devotees from all over the world.

How to Reach the site:
The statue is located just near the ASI museum at Sarnath, which is well-connected withVaranasicity; one can travel to the place by auto-rickshaw, bus, bicycle, bike, rickshaw or taxi.