The Five Giant Buddha’s of Asia

Spring Temple Buddha

Mount Yao, Henan, China

Built: 2008

Height: 420 feet

Total height: 502 feet

The copper Spring Temple Buddha stands on a 66-foot lotus throne, which itself is on an 82-foot pedestal. Visitors are welcome to hug the statue’s toes, which are all taller than your standard adult human.

Laykyun Sekkya

Khatakan Taaung, Myanmar

Built: 2008

Height: 381 feet

Total height: 427 feet

Laykyun Sekkya’s golden-robed Buddha took 12 years to build. It stands on a 44-foot throne, behind a reclining Buddha that’s equally huge and equally golden. Both statues gaze toward the gilded stupa of the Aung Sakkya Pagoda.

Ushiku Daibutsu

Ushiku, Japan

Built: 1993

Height: 393 feet

Total height: 394 feet

Standing on a lotus throne atop a pedestal, the Ushiku Daibutsu is a bronze standing Buddha with a four-level museum inside. New Age music, low lighting, and incense induce a state of calm on your way up to the observation deck, located in the Buddha’s chest, and with observation windows built into its chest.

The Great Buddha of Thailand

Ang Thong, Thailand

Built: 2008

Total Height: 302 feet

Thailand’s golden seated Great Buddha, the tallest in the country and 18 years in the making, was built on top of a single-story museum. It’s made of cement, with a layer of gold painted on top. Stop by the temple’s Buddhist hell garden to see sculpted sinners being sawn in half or forced through a meat grinder.

Leshan Giant Buddha

Sichuan, China

Built: 803 CE

Height: 223 feet

Total height: 233 feet

The Leshan Giant Buddha is carved out of a stone cliff on a tributary of the Yangtze River. Created in the Tang dynasty (7th–10th century), it is the tallest pre-modern statue on Earth.