Fallen ancient Buddha statue to be put upright by 2025

Studies have shown that a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the region in 1430, which resulted in the 1,300-year-old statue’s tumble. SEOUL – A 1,300-year-old rock-carved Buddha statue in Gyeongju’s Namsan, discovered with its face down a mere 5 centimeters away from a giant rock, is to be reerected, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism announced […]

Millennium-old Buddha statues unearthed in ancient market

More than 680 fragments of Buddha statues and pagoda sculptures have been unearthed in the ruins of an ancient market in Xi’an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province. The statues were discovered in a pit in the ruins of East Market, a major commercial center during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The Buddha statues were made of clay, […]

Monks clean Zentsuji Temple’s Buddha statue ahead of New Year

In preparation for the New Year, monks at Zentsuji Temple in the city of Zentsuji, Kagawa Prefecture, conducted the annual tradition of brushing the dust off a statue of Yakushi Nyorai, or the “Medicine Buddha,” earlier this month. Enshrined as the temple’s principal deity, the wooden statue was completed in 1700 by renowned Buddha sculptor […]

Thousands of Buddhist temples filled this sacred skyline

Entering a golden age a thousand years ago, Myanmar’s Bagan empire was home to dazzling structures that attracted pilgrims for centuries. ByJulius Purcell For centuries, visitors to a bend of the Ayeyarwady River in central Myanmar (Burma) have been greeted with a breathtaking spectacle: myriad rose-colored pagodas and temples rising above red soil and emerald […]

The History of Budai, the Laughing Buddha

You may wonder why the Buddha is so often depicted as chubby and laughing. The Laughing Buddha is understood as a particular Buddha who is not the Buddha who founded Buddhism. This particular Buddha is named Budai (sometimes spelled Pu-tai) in China. In Buddhist iconography there are many different Buddhas. Buddha is a title derived […]

On the Ponniyin Trail: Here are the five places that tread the path of the Cholas in Sri Lanka

The Chola dynasty— one of the longest-ruling dynasties in world history—has once again caught the public imagination. Filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan I, or PS1, which is based on Tamil literature’s most-visited text by Kalki Krishnamurthy, brings to life Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka’s stupas, lush forests and lotus-filled ponds. As a Ponniyin fan, though, […]