A major Buddhist ceremony has drawn crowds to Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh, where Vietnam has officially enshrined a new statue of Buddha Konagamana. The event, held on 29 December, marks a significant cultural moment for the south of the country and adds a new spiritual landmark to one of Vietnam’s most visited mountains.
The Vietnam Buddhist Association presided over the ritual, which many devotees had been anticipating for months. Konagamana — known in Sanskrit as Kanakamuni, “the One Who Comes From Gold” — is revered as one of the Buddhas of the past. According to Buddhist tradition, he attained enlightenment beneath an Udumbara tree, a mythical fig said to bloom only once every three thousand years and associated with good fortune.
The new statue sits in the Udumbara Garden at the summit, the highest point in southern Vietnam. Crafted from red copper and finished with 24‑carat gold leaf, it stands 7.2 metres tall beneath an ancient fig tree. The Buddha is depicted in a serene lotus posture, facing east, with one hand in the teaching mudra and the other holding a fig — a nod to the tree under which he reached enlightenment.
Surrounding the statue is the Udumbara Waterfall, a circular structure 50 metres wide and 12 metres high, built on 32 golden pillars symbolising the auspicious marks of the Buddha. The waterfall flows into a golden lotus pond, creating a striking visual centrepiece intended to evoke prosperity and spiritual renewal.
The new monument joins existing statues of the Goddess of the West Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva and Kunahamuni Buddha, forming a symbolic link between past, present and future on the mountain’s summit. Ba Den has increasingly become a destination for both pilgrims and tourists seeking reflection, calm and a sense of connection in a setting that blends natural beauty with deep spiritual meaning.
With the enshrinement of Buddha Konagamana, the mountain is expected to draw even more visitors looking to make wishes for good fortune and to experience one of Vietnam’s most atmospheric sacred sites.
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