Every country has some statues that are generally constructed to commemorate an event or to honor some god or public leader. Here’s a list of the 10 largest statues in the world and as you’ll find most of them are in Asia and built in honor of the Buddha.
1. The Spring Temple Buddha
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2. The Laykyun Setkyar
The second tallest statue of the world is located at Khatakan Taung, a village near Monywa in Myanmar. It is 116 meters (381 feet) tall and stands on a throne of 13.5 meters (44 feet) height. The construction of the state started in 1996 and was completed in February 2008. It was constructed by the Chief Abbot Ven. Nãradã, who died on Novemebr22, 2006.
3. Ushiku Daibutu
Completed in 1993, this statue is located in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Its total height is 120 meters (390 feet) and that includes a base of 10 meters and another 10 meters of lotus platform. The statue made of bonze also has an elevator for taking visitors to an observation floor at a height of 85 meters (279 feet.) Also known as Ushiku Arcadia, it was built to memorialize the birth of Shinran, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū.
4. The Guanyin of the South Sea of Sanya
This statue sited on the south coast of the Chinese province Hainan, is 108 meters (354 feet) tall. The statue was built over a period of six years. It was enshrined on 24the April, 2005 in the presence of 108 eminent monks from different Buddhist groups from Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong and Mainland China along with tens of thousands of pilgrims. There were also monks from Vajrayana and Theravada traditions.
5. The sculptures of the Emperors Yan and Huang
The sculptures of the Emperors Yan and Huang with a height of 106 meter make the sixth tallest statues in the world. They portray two of the earliest Chinese emperors, Yan Di and Huang Di. It took twenty years to build and the construction was finished in 2007. Founded in Zhengzhou these are contained in the capital of Henan province of the People’s Republic of China. Experts believe that they are symbolic of the country’s economy and politics.
6. Sendai Daikannon
This 100 meters (328 feet) tall statue is found in Sendai, Japan and is the sixth tallest worldwide. There is an elevator for taking visitors to the top of the statue, depicting Japanese Buddhist Bodhisattva Kannon.
7. Guishan Guanyin of the Thousand Hands and Eyes
This seventh tallest statue of the world is also the fourth tallest in China. Made from gilded bronze, it depicts Avalokitesvara. The 99 meter (325 feet) tall statue is situated in Weishan, Changsha, People’s Republic of China.
8. The Peter the Great Statue
This 98 meter tall monument of Peter the Great I situated in central Moscow, at he meeting point of the Vodootvodny Canal and the Moskva River. Built to memorialize 300 years of Russian Navy that was established by Peter the great, this eighth tallest statue of the world was designed by the Georgian designer Zurab Tsereteli. This approximate weight of this statue installed in1997 is one thousand tons containing bronze, copper and stainless steel. Right from the beginning the making and installation of this stature has been a matter of controversy. In its November 2008 issue, the Virtual Tourist voted it as the tenth ugliest building in the world. In 2010, it was added to the list of the ugliest statues of the world by Foreign Policy magazine.
9. The Great Buddha of Thailand
Also known as The Big Buddha of Thailand or Maharini Sakayamunee Visejchaicharn and Phra Buddha Maha Nawamin, this is the tallest statue of Thailand and the ninth tallest worldwide. The 92 meter (300 feet) tall and 63 meters (210) feet wide statue is sited in Ang Thong province of that country. It is made from cement and painted in gold. Its construction was started in 1990 and completed in 2008.
10. The Grand Buddha
This traditional Chinese statue of the Buddha is situated in the south of Longshan Mountain close to Mashan in Jiangsu Province of the People’s Republic of China. It is among the tallest Buddha statues of China and also of the world. It is over 88 meters in height and weighs more than 700 tons. This was finished towards the end of 1996 and in 2008, a “Five-signet” Palace plus a Brahma Palace were constructed in south-east of the Grand Buddha statue.
