Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha,
is a large bronze statue of a Buddha Amoghasiddhi,
completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong.
The statue is located near Po Lin Monastery
and symbolises the harmonious relationship
between man and nature, people and religion.
The statue is named Tian Tan Buddha
because its base is a model of the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan,
the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
It is one of the five large Buddha statues in China.
The Buddha statue sits on a lotus throne on top of a three-platform altar.
It is surrounded by six smaller bronze statues known as "The Offering of the Six Devas"
and are posed offering flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha.
These offerings symbolize charity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom,
all of which are necessary to enter into nirvana.
The Buddha is 34 metres (112 ft) tall, weighs 250 metric tons (280 short tons),
and was the world's tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha prior to 2007.
It reputedly can even be seen from as far away as Macau on a clear day.
Visitors have to climb 240 steps in order to reach the Buddha,
though the site also features a small winding road to the Buddha
for vehicles to accommodate the handicapped.
In addition, there are 3 floors beneath the Buddha statue:
The Hall of Universe, The Hall of Benevolent Merit, and The Hall of Remembrance.
Source:
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Tan_Buddha
* http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Big_Buddha_Statue_at_Lantau_Island.JPG