HCMC – The debut of the world’s largest sandstone statue of Maitreya Buddha is scheduled to take place on January 28 at a ceremony held on Ba Den Mountain in the southern province of Tay Ninh.
The ceremony is expected to be Vietnam’s largest spiritual cultural event held on Ba Den Mountain, with the participation of over 500 Buddhist monks and nuns from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha along with thousands of Buddhists and tourists from around the world. At the ceremony, participants also have a chance to take part in a variety of meaningful spiritual activities such as drawing lucky cards or tying red strings to pray for a prosperous and peaceful new year.
In addition, more than 20,000 flower garlands and lanterns that carry wishes handwritten by Buddhists and tourists will be lit on top of the mountain.
Located at an altitude of over 900 meters on the top of Ba Den Mountain, the great Maitreya Buddha statue covers a 4,651-square-meter area with a height of 36 meters, a maximum width of 45 meters, and weighs a total of 5,112 tons. The statue was shaped by a distinctive method, assembled from 6,688 natural sandstone pieces, and inspired by terraced fields.
In Buddhist culture, Maitreya is regarded as the Buddha of the future, also known as the Laughing Buddha. This Buddha’s greatest joy is transforming human sadness, anger and stress into joy and happiness. Consequently, with the unveiling of Maitreya Buddha statue on Ba Den Mountain, the pilgrimage of Buddhists to this sacred mountain will be a journey to find the land of joy, where they will be free of all worries and find perfect happiness.
