Spring Temple Buddha
Encyclopedia
The Spring Temple Buddha ( and ) is a statue depicting Vairocana Buddha located in the Zhaocun township of Lushan County, Henan
Lushan County, Henan
Lushan County is a county in Pingdingshan, Henan Province, China, with a population is 830,000....

, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. It is placed within the Fodushan Scenic Area, close to National Freeway no. 311. The statue was completed in 2002.

At 128 m (420 ft), which includes a 20 m (66 ft) lotus throne, it is the tallest statue in the world. When the 25 m (82 ft) pedestal/building it is placed upon is taken into account, the monument has a total height of 153 m (502 ft). As of October 2008, the hill on which the statue stands is being reshaped to form two further pedestals, the upper one being 15 m tall. The total height of the monument is now said to be 208 m.

The project as a whole was estimated to cost around $55m, $18m of which being spent on the statue. It was originally estimated to consist of 1,100 pieces of copper cast, with a total weight of 1,000 tonnes. Plans of the construction of the Spring Temple Buddha were announced soon after the blowing up of the Bamiyan Buddhas
Buddhas of Bamiyan
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2,500 meters...

 by the Taliban in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

. China has condemned the systematic destruction of the Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan.

The Spring Temple Buddha derives its name from the nearby Tianrui hot spring, which spews water at 60°C and is renowned in the area for its curative properties. The Foquan Temple, built during the Tang dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

, houses the "Bell of Good Luck", placed on top of Dragon Head peak. This bronze bell weighs 116 tons.

Gallery


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK