Buddha statue of Vairochana. The Spring Temple Buddha is the tallest statue in the world.

The most tall statue in the world August 27th, 2014

Now I discovered that I still have a blog. And as other sources show, this is no longer the case. In general, many probably think that the "Statue of Liberty" or "Motherland" are the highest. And this is not so. That's because they build and build!

Let's see which statue is now the tallest in the world:

The Spring Temple Buddha is the most big statue on the planet. She depicts the Buddha Vairochana - this is one of the five sacred Buddhas, personifying wisdom. The statue is located in Zhaocun Township in China. The idea of ​​erecting such an original shrine arose after the Taliban blew up two huge Buddha statues in Afghanistan, the Chinese reacted very sharply to this event.

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Then they decided to erect a majestic statue in the province of Henan, which would fully convey the respectful attitude of the Chinese to the Buddhist heritage.

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The construction of the unique giant was very efficient and reached the finish line in 2002. Height Spring Buddha- 128 meters, of which 20 meters are the foot in the form of a lotus flower, and the remaining 108 are directly the Buddha statue. All this grandiose structure stands on a 25-meter pedestal.

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In 2010, the hill on which the statue was erected was transformed into two large stone steps, so the height of the entire structure from top to bottom is 208 meters, this fact was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

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For the manufacture of the statue itself, 33 tons of copper, 108 kilograms of gold and 15 thousand tons of special steel were used. It was created from separate parts, which were then assembled into one whole, in total there were approximately 1100 such pieces. The cost of the Spring Buddha is about $18 million, and the cost of the entire project is $55 million.

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It is impossible not to mention another record holder, located very close to the Buddha of the Spring Temple. It is the largest working bell in the world.
Near the statue, on the peak of the Head of the Dragon, there is a belfry.

It is in it that the “Bell of Fortune” is located. Its dimensions are as follows: diameter at the widest point - 5.12 meters, height - 8.11 meters, weight - 116 tons. In terms of weight and diameter, the Bell of Fortune is inferior to the Tsar Bell on Red Square, and it is superior in height. But since the Moscow Tsar Bell has never rung in its life, the Lucky Bell becomes the world's largest operating bell.

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The final plan for the construction of the Spring Temple Buddha was approved shortly after the destruction of the ancient Bamiyan Buddha statue in Afghanistan by the Taliban. China strongly condemned the barbaric destruction of Afghanistan's Buddhist heritage.

The foot of the Buddha of the Spring Temple No less grandiose staircase leads to the foot of the giant statue - it consists of 365 steps, and is divided into 12 spans. The number of steps symbolizes the annual life cycle.

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The name of the monument "Buddha of the Spring Temple" comes from the hot spring Tianrui, which is located nearby, the water in it erupts from the bowels at a temperature of 60 ° C, and has healing properties. Foshan Temple, built during the Tang Dynasty in China, is located on the top of Dragon Head Peak. The largest bronze bell in the world weighing 116 tons is installed there.

To imagine the scale of the Buddha statue of the Spring Temple, you can compare the sizes of other world-famous monuments: the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro reaches a height of 38 meters, the Statue of Liberty in New York with a pedestal - 93 m, the Motherland in Volgograd - 87 m

Buddhism is one of the world religions that are widespread in Asia. At the state level, Buddhism is accepted in China, Thailand, Tibet, India, Cambodia, Nepal and other countries. AT Russian Federation Buddhism is practiced by Kalmyks, Buryats and Tuvans.

The followers of Buddhism revere Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha - God, who was a man, but was able to achieve enlightenment as a result of travel, self-restraint and conversations with sages about the meaning of life. The image of the Buddha is immortalized in sculpture. There are many statues of Gautama in the East. One of them is located on the territory of the temple, which is called the Temple of the Spring Buddha.

Why Spring Buddha?

The name of the temple was due to the fact that there is a hot spring in it, which has healing powers. The name of the geyser is translated into Russian as "hot spring". The water temperature in Tianrui hot spring reaches sixty degrees Celsius.

The Foshan temple complex, built in time, is also famous for the fact that there is a huge bell on the belfry, the weight of which is more than one hundred tons, and its diameter exceeds five meters. This bell is inferior in size to the Tsar Bell of the Kremlin. However, the Kremlin giant is just an attraction (certainly worthy of attention), and the bell of the Spring Temple (in other words, the Bell of Good Luck) is operational.

According to ancient traditions, the territory of the temple is guarded from evil forces by marble deities and demons located at the entrance to the shrine. Prayers and services are held in the temple. Temple of the Spring Buddha - a refuge Lay people also come here to pray, to get rid of daily worries, to be alone with their thoughts and feelings.

Temple location

The monastery is located in a desert area on the outskirts of Henan Island. Since the monks prefer privacy, there is nothing around the temple except for the ticket office and one parking space.

Temple of the Spring Buddha attracts pilgrims and tourists from all over the world, but in addition to the hot spring, a huge bell and marble statues at the entrance, travelers tend to see the tallest Buddha statue in the world.

Description of the statue

The Buddha Vairochana, symbolizing wisdom, is immortalized in the Buddha. Spring Temple is the highest in the world. Its height, together with the hill on which the Buddha stands, is two hundred and eight meters. For comparison: the famous barely reaches the Buddha to the knee. Much lower is the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the sculptural composition "The Motherland Calls!" in Volgograd and other monuments. The statue of the Spring Buddha is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The sculpture of the Buddha of the Spring Temple seems incredible also because the Buddha stands on a giant pedestal, which is a lotus flower.

To get to the statue, you need to overcome 365 steps, divided into 12 spans. It is easy to guess that such a division denotes the number of months and days in a year.

The Buddha is made of gold, copper and special steel. First, parts of the statue were sculpted, then they merged together. A total of one thousand one hundred parts were made. After their connection, the weight of the Buddha amounted to a thousand tons.

The history of the erection of the statue

The Buddha statue of the Spring Temple, whose height is amazing, was erected in 2010. The decision to create the highest statue in the world was made after the Taliban blew up the ancient ones in Afghanistan. The destroyed sculptures were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Chinese government expressed dissatisfaction with what happened and determined the place of creation of the sculpture - the village of Zhaotsun in Henan province.

Construction began in 2001. The work was very intensive, and a year later, residents and guests of China had the opportunity to see giant statue. True, then the height of the Buddha of the Spring Temple was 153 meters. The Buddha's record size was achieved by converting the hill on which Vairochana stands into stone steps.

The Buddha of the Spring Temple symbolizes the Chinese people's respect for Buddhism.

How to behave on the territory of the temple?

Temple of the Spring Buddha - Holy place. Therefore, behavior must be such as not to violate religious traditions (even if the visitor professes a different religion), not to offend monks and parishioners.

The image of high buddha tourists keep in their memory, as photo and video shooting in the temple is prohibited. Moreover, photographing makes the inhabitants of the monastery worried, and this is not surprising. You can't take pictures of people without their consent.

Before entering the temple, you must remove your hat and shoes. Clothing should cover the arms to the forearm and legs to the ankle. It is forbidden to talk on the phone and talk to each other.

Buddhist monks are not allowed to communicate with women, and some clergymen are not allowed to communicate with men. Therefore, it is better not to try to strike up a conversation with the clergy. If you wish, you can order a prayer service and make offerings in the temple.

The Spring Temple Buddha is the tallest statue in the world and China's top landmark. The sculpture is located in Zhaocun, Lushan County (Henan Province). Every year it attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims. The scale and cultural value allow us to call the Chinese Buddha a real masterpiece.

statue height

Being next to the Buddha statue, you feel like a small insect, which is about to be crushed by a colossal figure. Buddha statue height Chinese city Lushan – 128 meters. The giant Buddha in Leshan stands on a pedestal made in the form of a huge lotus flower. It increases the Buddha's height to 153 meters. And if you add to this the height of the hill, the size of the statue is amazing - 208 meters. Thanks to this, the Spring Temple Buddha statue entered the Guinness Book of Records and received the status of the tallest statue in the world.

The Buddha looks really impressive. If you compare it with other tall statues, you can see a significant difference. For example, the height of the Statue of Liberty in the USA is 93 meters, and the height of the Motherland sculpture in Kyiv is 91 meters.

Construction

Plans to build the largest Buddha statue in the world appeared after two similar statues were blown up in Afghanistan. According to the plan, the majestic statue was supposed to convey the reverent and respectful attitude of the Chinese towards the Buddhist religion. The monument began to be built almost simultaneously with the erection of the statue of Maitreya Buddha in India, the height of which was to reach 152 meters. The sculpture was built in just one year. And the Indian Buddha remains unfinished.

A huge statue was created from separate parts, which were then assembled into a single whole. In total, it took 1100 parts of cast copper. During the work, more than one hundred kilograms of gold, thirty-three tons of copper and about fifteen thousand tons of special steel were used. The Chinese Buddha statue cost the authorities eighteen million dollars, and the entire project took 55 million.

Description

The Buddha statue in China depicts Vairochana - the Buddha of Wisdom - the main of the five Buddhas. The total weight of the monument is one thousand tons. A staircase consisting of 365 steps leads to the foot of the statue of the Buddha Vairochana - according to the number of days in a year and divided into twelve spans. Golden Buddha is part of temple complex- Its construction was completed in 2008.

Prayers and deifications are held in the temple. Therefore, tourists with cameras confuse both the monks and those who visit the temple. You need to take pictures so that no one sees, since it is not customary to do this here. The territory of the temple is guarded by marble deities and demons placed at the entrance. Temple of the Spring Buddha is a gathering place for Buddhist monks. In addition, ordinary Chinese come here to pray and be alone with themselves.

Big Buddha with wise eyes looks at everyone who comes to him. The gilded silhouette is clearly visible even in the thickest fog, and the green slopes behind the Buddha create a harmonious backdrop. Thousands of people come to this famous Chinese landmark to find peace and tranquility.

Name

The Spring Temple Buddha got its name from a nearby hot spring. It bears the name Tianrui Hot Spring, which means Tianrui Hot Spring. The source is known for its unique healing properties. Water in it erupts at a temperature of + 60 degrees.

• Not far from the Buddha statue is the largest working bell in the world. Its weight is 116 tons, its height is 8.11 meters, and its diameter is 5.12 meters.
• On the chest of the Buddha, you can see the swastika, which in Chinese Buddhism is a symbol of love, compassion and constancy.
• The second name of one of the tallest structures in the world is the Golden Buddha of Foshan.
• Two buildings are erected at the foot of the statue, their names are ‘Sumeru Seat’ and ‘Diamond Seat’. They will complement the ensemble.

The history of the temple is connected with the most legendary figures in the history of Tibet. It dates back to the reign of the 33rd king of Tibet, the founder of the Tibetan empire, the guardian of the faith - Dharmaraja Songzen Gampo (620-649). In 631 he moved the capital to Lhasa and built white palace at the top of the Red Mountain Marpori. Then he married Nepalese and Chinese princesses, who brought with them a statue of Buddha as a dowry: the Chinese princess Wen Cheng - Shakyamuni Jo, the Nepalese princess Brikhuti - Akshobhya Vajra.

The Jokhan Temple, where the famous statue was kept for 13 centuries, was repeatedly destroyed and restored. It suffered tremendous destruction during the Mongol invasion and the Cultural Revolution. The founder of the Gelukpa Tsongkhava school made a crown of pure gold for the statue, and a crown of pure silver for Akshobhya Vajra.

Wish Granting Jewel

Why is this statue of Buddha Shakyamuni so highly valued in Tibet, a country where there is, perhaps, the most a large number of Buddhist statues in the world?

The fact is that Tibetans firmly believe that this image of Buddha Shakyamuni was made during the life of the Enlightened One. It is believed that the Buddha personally consecrated the statue. The boundless faith of the Tibetans has transformed her from an ordinary object into a divine one, and when they see her, they believe that the Buddha himself is in front of them. They call the statue "Precious Lord Buddha" and "Wish-fulfilling Jewel". It is believed that just seeing the statue transforms a person's energy into positive energy, that is, "liberation through vision" occurs.

According to legend, this image of the Buddha was made by the celestial sculptor Vishvakarman under the guidance of the lord of the gods Indra from ten jewels of the world of gods and people. Subsequently, they were melted down, and the statue was cast into a real form.

For a long time she was in the "abode of the gods", then in Oddiyana, and then in India - Magadha. The king of Magadha presented her to the Chinese emperor Taizong, after which she ended up in Tibet as a dowry of a Chinese princess.

Statue of Buddha Shakyamuni

Put your head on the foot of the statue

According to Tibetan belief, there are only two such images of the Buddha. The second is located in the birthplace of the Buddha - Bodhgaya. The statue is the highest example Buddhist art. In general, images of the Buddha, the creation of which the Buddhist tradition ascribes to the time of the Buddha, are only a few in the world. One of these images may be a statue sandalwood buddha located in the Egituysky datsan of the Republic of Buryatia.

Jowo Shakyamuni is located on the eastern side of the temple in a sanctuary specially designated for him, which is a small room about 5 by 5 m. The statue is installed in the middle of the room on a dais, to which several steps lead.

At present, it is usually closed with an iron chain grate, through which pilgrims can put their heads to her leg. Sometimes the grate is removed, and several times I saw it without any protection.

579 kg of pure gold

The statue of Joe is cast from an alloy of gold, silver, bronze and tin, more than a human height and depicts Shakyamuni Buddha at the age of 12, sitting in a vajra position ( overall height 1.5 m). It contains 579 kg of pure gold and is traditionally referred to as gold.

Joe's right hand rests on his knee in a gesture of touching the ground, the left in a gesture of meditation. The hands are not visible because the body is covered with a robe of yellow Chinese silk. The statue is distinguished by luxurious decorations. The Indian hairstyle of the hair is closed by a crown of hammered gold with inserted jewels - diamonds, rubies, sapphires and semi-precious stones, among which corals and turquoise predominate.

Images of deities are inlaid in the prongs of the crown. On the chest is a necklace in the form of a plastron with a lot of turquoise and corals and a large white shell with a curl in the clockwise direction. According to the Buryat scientist G. Tsybikov, large rosaries that belonged to the Chinese emperor of the Ming dynasty used to hang around the neck, but now there are no rosaries. In the Buddha's hand is a bowl. In front of him, on a special stand, is another large bowl, on which is placed a stupa in the form of a pyramid with ledges with barley grains sprinkled on it. There are also several lamps on the stand, in which the pilgrims continuously add the oil they brought with them.

Delight and tears of Tibetans

The temple was built in the center of the old city of Lhasa. The building is small, outwardly 2-storey type, in fact, it has 4 floors, taking into account the roof surface. The total area of ​​buildings is 25,100 sq. m.

Previously, some departments of the Tibetan Kashag government were located in the temple. Every year from the 5th to the 26th of the first month of the Tibetan calendar, representatives of all the monasteries of Tibet gather in the Jokhang for the Monlam religious festival. In old Tibet, during the Monlam, the control of Lhasa was handed over to the monks of Drepung Monastery.

Numerous priceless artifacts have been preserved in the temple: more than 300 Buddhist statues, frescoes with a total area of ​​​​more than 2,600 square meters. m., as well as a huge number of manuscripts, woodcuts, plaques, stelae, tanks, ritual and musical items.

Jokhang, perhaps the only temple in Tibet, in which a huge number of people are concentrated at any time, extraordinary religious enthusiasm reigns. Particularly striking is the unprecedented delight of the Tibetans at the sight of Jowo Shakyamuni. Many are crying, everyone is trying to linger at the statue and do as many prostrations as possible, which is very difficult with a large crowd of people and a crush in the queue.

Tibetologist-Mongolian Yelena Damdinova

Attractions of the Jokhang Temple

There are more than 30 shrine rooms in the temple. The main statue of the temple, as we have already said, is Buddha Shakyamuni Jo. Perhaps the second most important is the 5-part, 11-face and 1,000-hand Avalokiteshvara, which is located in the middle of the northern wall.

According to one legend, this statue miraculously appeared during the reign of Songzen Gampo. In another way, it was molded from a mixture of various fragrant herbs by order of the king. In addition, it is believed that a sandalwood image of the same Avalokiteshkara, brought from India, is placed inside it.

There is another legend: the king himself, along with his wives, the Nepalese and Chinese princesses, merged with this statue at the time of death. That is why it is called the 5-piece, since it consists of the main statue, sandalwood, of King Songzen Gampo and his two wives. It is said that the real image of the 5-component Avalokiteshvara was lost during the Cultural Revolution, and the one in the temple now is a copy made in recent times. Unfortunately, we do not have documents confirming this or the opposite.

Further through one room in the corner on the mezzanine is a large statue of a Buddhist reformer. Tsongkhavy. There are many legends about its origin. According to one of them, it was made by order of King Songzen Gampo, who foresaw the birth of a great lama.

It is said that Tsongkhava, having seen the statue, recognized himself in it and informed outsiders about it. Those, seeing a striking resemblance, paid tribute to both the lama himself and his image.

On the second floor, directly above the main entrance, there is a large room in which are located very revered big statues king Songzen Gampo, Chinese Princess Wen Cheng and Nepalese Princess Brikhuti.

If you follow the internal stairs to the third floor, you will find yourself in the sanctuary of the goddess Palden Lhamo, which is considered the main protector of Tibet, especially among adherents of the Gelukpa school. The goddess is also especially revered by women. There are two statues of the goddess in the room: on the right - in a peaceful incarnation, on the left - in an angry one. In an angry incarnation, the goddess holds a sword, her face is covered with a cloth. The goddess is presented with "sergem" - barley wine or vodka.

External and internal tour of the temple

On the open area of ​​the fourth floor, or the roof of the temple, there are four symmetrical golden pavilions, decorated with stupas, knobs, golden bells cast in the form of deities and animals. Above the gates of the temple there are golden sacred deer and a wheel of teaching, to the left and right there are symbols of the prosperity of Buddhism - golden gyaltsen, resembling large bells. From the roof of the temple there is a beautiful view of the main square, the city and the Potala Palace.

Worship of the temple ends with its internal and external detour. The inner bypass (Nangkhor) passes under a canopy, where prayer wheels are located around the perimeter of the entire building. The walls around the temple are painted on both sides with paintings depicting 108 stories from the numerous births of the Buddha.

The outer bypass (Bakhor) runs along the same name and crowded street in Lhasa, on which on both sides there are numerous shops selling various goods of religious purpose. A crowd of people moves along it all day, especially in the morning and evening hours. People quickly walk down the street in the direction of the sun, sorting out the rosary, spinning prayer wheels, reciting mantras. Many pilgrims make their rounds, stretching across the land.

The Jokhan Temple and Bakhor Street are truly the heart of Tibet, where you can feel its lively beat with your own eyes.