Tian Tan Buddha
by Unknown Artist, 1993
Details
- Year
- 1993
- Medium
- Bronze
- Size
- 34 m (112 ft) tall, 250 tonnes
The Tian Tan Buddha (or Big Buddha) is a 34-meter (112-foot) bronze seated on a hilltop at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Completed in 1993, it took 12 years to build. The figure depicts Shakyamuni Buddha sitting in a lotus position facing north, symbolically looking toward mainland China. It's one of the largest outdoor seated bronze Buddhas in the world.
The bronze weighs 250 tonnes and sits on a three-platform lotus throne modeled after the Altar of Heaven (Tian Tan) at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Visitors climb 268 steps to reach the base. Inside the pedestal is a museum with Buddhist relics. The monument continues a tradition of monumental devotional sculpture that spans cultures from ancient Egypt to modern Asia.
The Ngong Ping 360 cable car offers dramatic views of the statue during the approach from Tung Chung. The surrounding Po Lin Monastery, founded in 1906, draws Buddhist pilgrims alongside the tourist crowds.
About Tian Tan Buddha
The seated figure is 26.4 meters (87 feet) tall, with a total height of 34 meters (112 feet) including the base. It weighs over 250 metric tonnes and is made of 202 bronze pieces over a steel framework. The face alone measures 4.3 x 5.8 meters.
Most Buddha statues face south, but this one faces north (slightly east), symbolically looking toward mainland China. The base is modeled after the Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan) in Beijing, which is how it got its name.
It's at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, 482 meters above sea level. Visitors climb 268 steps to reach it. The Ngong Ping 360 cable car from Tung Chung is the most scenic route. Inside the base are three exhibit floors, including a relic believed to be part of Gautama Buddha's remains.
Construction ran from 1990 to 1993, completed December 29, 1993. It cost over 60 million Hong Kong dollars. The design was inspired by monks from Po Lin Monastery visiting the Great Buddha of Kamakura in Japan and draws from Tang Dynasty Buddhist traditions.
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