Asia

[Visited: April 2024]

After a day of driving and visiting several places on the way, we finally descend into the valley in which the capital of Bhutan lies: Thimpu. Rain is coming down from a grey sky. Almost immediately, I notice a huge golden Buddha statue high on a mountain on the other side of the valley. I am pretty sure the statue wasn't here on my previous visit in 2009, and indeed, our guide confirms that it was built later. In fact, it was only completed six years after my visit. The next morning, we wake up under a blue sky, and after exploring a bit of the relaxed capital city, we drive up to the Buddha Dordenma statue. When we get closer, we see it towering above the forested hill. Our guide offers to drive us all the way up, but we prefer to walk the stairs and enjoy the full experience.
The columns of the entrance gate at the foot of the stairs are only partly painted, most of them are still grey. They have already been sculpted, and the lower part has vibrant colours painted on it. When we step through the gate, we only see wide stairs seemingly leading to heaven. Strangely enough for a new complex, the stairs look worn, and in parts are covered by sand. When we are a bit higher up, the head of the golden Buddha appears high above us. As we walk up the stairs, we see more of the statue, until we finally reach a point where the entire seated Shakyamuni statue is visible. It is still far away though, as it stands at the end of an enormous platform. There are a few people around, but it is mostly a vast space. At regular intervals, we see red cushions. When we are finally at the base of the rectangular pedestal, we stop to admire the enormous golden statue towering high above us.
Our guide has reached us by car, and explains that between the eyes, the wisdom eye is made of diamonds with a value of one million dollars. The statue itself is made of bronze, and covered with gold. The building under the statue is a mandala-shaped meditation hall. We climb the stairs and walk around the meditation hall before entering it. Inside, we find more than a hundred thousand Buddha statues, all covered in gold as well. We buy bracelets, thereby supporting the ongoing project to finish this statue, one of the largest sitting Buddha statues in the world. We learn that in the 8th century, Guru Rinpoche prophesied that a large Buddha would be erected here. It is built on the remains of the 13th century Kuensel Phodrang Palace. This spot is also known as Buddha Point, which seems an appropriate name. We walk around the meditation hall, giving us unexpected views of the head of the Buddha above us. We leave our guide again, to walk down the stairs for the full experience. It is an impressive site, and hopefully it will be fully completed soon.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

inspiring you to travel

Buddha Dordenma statue (Bhutan)

Buddha Dordenma statue > Bhutan > Asia

[Visited: April 2024]

Around the World in 80 Clicks