1.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
Geographic coordinate system
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Longitude lines are perpendicular and latitude lines are parallel to the equator.
2.
Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India. Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest, Sri Lankas documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II. Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, Sri Lankas recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war which decisively ended when the Sri Lankan military defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009. A diverse and multicultural country, Sri Lanka is home to many religions, ethnic groups, in addition to the majority Sinhalese, it is home to large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the capital and largest city. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of the two countries in South Asia that are rated among high human development on the Human Development Index. In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names, according to the Mahavamsa, the legendary Prince Vijaya named the land Tambapanni, because his followers hands were reddened by the red soil of the area. In Hindu mythology, such as the Mahabharata, the island was referred to as Lankā, in Tamil, the island is referred to as Eelam. Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobanā or Taprobanē from the word Tambapanni, as a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon, it achieved independence as the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. The country is known in Sinhalese as Śrī Laṃkā and in Tamil as Ilaṅkai, in 1972, its formal name was changed to Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka. Later in 1978 it was changed to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, as the name Ceylon still appears in the names of a number of organisations, the Sri Lankan government announced in 2011 a plan to rename all those over which it has authority. The pre-history of Sri Lanka goes back 125,000 years, the era spans the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and early Iron Ages. Among the Paleolithic human settlements discovered in Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala and it is said that Kubera was overthrown by his demon stepbrother Ravana, the powerful emperor who built a mythical flying machine named Dandu Monara. The modern city of Wariyapola is described as Ravanas airport, early inhabitants of Sri Lanka were probably ancestors of the Vedda people, an indigenous people numbering approximately 2,500 living in modern-day Sri Lanka. According to the Mahāvamsa, a written in Pāḷi, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka are the Yakshas and Nagas. Ancient cemeteries that were used before 600BC and other signs of advanced civilization has also discovered in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
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Avukana Buddha statue, a 12 metres (39 ft) standing Buddha statue belongs to the reign of
Dhatusena of Anuradhapura, 5th century
Sri Lanka
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Flag
Sri Lanka
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Ptolemy's world map of Ceylon, first century CE, in a 1535 publication.
Sri Lanka
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The
Sigiriya rock fortress
3.
Buddha
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Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, Shakyamuni Buddha, or simply the Buddha, after the title of Buddha, was an ascetic and sage, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in the part of ancient India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the śramaṇa movement common in his region and he later taught throughout other regions of eastern India such as Magadha and Kosala. Gautama is the figure in Buddhism. He is recognized by Buddhists as a teacher who attained full Buddhahood. Accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death, various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition and first committed to writing about 400 years later. Scholars are hesitant to make unqualified claims about the facts of the Buddhas life. Apart from the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddhas lifetime coincided with the flourishing of influential schools of thought like Ājīvika, Cārvāka, Jainism. Brahmajala Sutta records sixty-two such schools of thought, thus, Buddha was just one of the many śramaṇa philosophers of that time. The times of Gautamas birth and death are uncertain, most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE. These alternative chronologies, however, have not yet accepted by all historians. It was either a republic, or an oligarchy, and his father was an elected chieftain. He obtained his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath, no written records about Gautama were found from his lifetime or some centuries thereafter. One Edict of Asoka, who reigned from circa 269 BCE to 232 BCE, another one of his edicts mentions the titles of several Dhamma texts, establishing the existence of a written Buddhist tradition at least by the time of the Maurya era. These texts may be the precursor of the Pāli Canon and they are written in the Gāndhārī language using the Kharosthi script on twenty-seven birch bark manuscripts and date from the first century BCE to the third century CE. The sources for the life of Siddhārtha Gautama are a variety of different and these include the Buddhacarita, Lalitavistara Sūtra, Mahāvastu, and the Nidānakathā. Of these, the Buddhacarita is the earliest full biography, a poem written by the poet Aśvaghoṣa in the first century CE. The Lalitavistara Sūtra is the next oldest biography, a Mahāyāna/Sarvāstivāda biography dating to the 3rd century CE, the Mahāvastu from the Mahāsāṃghika Lokottaravāda tradition is another major biography, composed incrementally until perhaps the 4th century CE
Buddha
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A statue of the Buddha from
Sarnath, 4th century CE
Buddha
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Buddha by
Otgonbayar Ershuu
Buddha
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Māyā miraculously giving birth to Siddhārtha.
Sanskrit,
palm-leaf manuscript.
Nālandā,
Bihar, India.
Pāla period
Buddha
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Maya dream of the Birth of Gautama Siddharta
4.
North Central Province, Sri Lanka
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North Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka. The province is not densely populated, and it has an economy as the land tends to be dry tropical woodlands. In the Sri Lankan context, devolution means transferring political and administrative decision-making authority from central government to elected bodies at lower levels and it consists two districts called Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapure, Anuradhapure is the largest district in the country. NCP also called Wew Bendi Rajje because there are more than 3000 medium, more than 65% of NCPs people depend on basic Agriculture and agro base industries. North Central Province has numourous potentials for Investors to start their Businesses, specially Agriculture, agro based industries, governor of the Province - Hon. P. B. Dissanayake Hon
North Central Province, Sri Lanka
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Location within Sri Lanka
5.
Dhatusena
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Dhatusena was a king of Sri Lanka who ruled from 455 to 473. He was the first king of the Moriyan dynasty of Sri Lanka, in some records, he is also identified as Dasenkeli. Dhatusena reunited the country under his rule after twenty six years, Dhatusena made eighteen irrigation tanks, a large irrigation canal known as Yodha Ela, and the Avukana statue, a large statue of Lord Buddha. The Cūḷavaṃsa, the ancient chronicle of Sri Lanka, tells us that he was of royal lineage whose ancestors had fled the capital about three hundred years earlier. The country was invaded in 433 by six Tamil leaders from South India and they overthrew the Sri Lankan monarch and ruled the country for twenty six years, from 433 to 459. During this time, Sinhalese leaders abandoned Rajarata and fled to the Ruhuna principality in the south of the country, Ruhuna was used as the base for resistance against the invading rulers. Dhatusena was raised by his uncle, a Buddhist monk named Mahanama, the Pandyan invaders were searching for Dhatusena, and his uncle ordained him as a Buddhist monk to disguise him. Dhatusena later organised a movement against the Tamil invaders and led a rebellion against them. Dhatusena claimed the kingship of the country in 455, by the time Dhatusena started the rebellion, three of the six Pandayn invaders were already dead, and in the battles that occurred during the rebellion, two more were killed. The final battle took place in 459, where the last king, having successfully defeated the Pandyan invaders, Dhatusena was crowned as the king of Sri Lanka in 459 A. D, taking Anuradhapura as his capital. Dhatusena built eighteen irrigation tanks in order to develop agriculture in the country, among these tanks are the Kalavewa and Balaluwewa, which are interconnected and cover an area of 6,380 acres. He also constructed the Yodha Ela, also known as Jayaganga, yoda Ela descends 95 milimeters at each kilometer. This is regarded as a technological achievement. The Avukana statue, a 13-metre high statue of Lord Buddha, is also a creation of Dhatusena, Dhatusena had two sons, Kasyapa I and Moggallana I. Moggallana was the son of the consort and the rightful heir to the throne. Dhatusena’s daughter was married to his sister’s son and the general of his army, following an argument between his daughter and sister, Dhatusena ordered his sister to be killed. In reprisal, Migara encouraged and assisted Kasyapa to overthrow the king, Kasyapa eventually rebelled against Dhatusena and overthrew him. Dhatusena was imprisoned and Kasyapa became the king of the country in 473, Migara led Kasyapa to believe that Dhatusena had hidden treasures of great wealth and persuaded him to find these
Dhatusena
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The
Avukana Buddha Statue which was created during the reign of Dhatusena
6.
Kala Wewa
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Kalawewa is an ancient reservoir in Anuradhapura District of the North Central Province, Sri Lanka. This reservoir was built by the King Dhathusena who ruled the country during 455 –473 CE in the 5th century, tamil invaders who arrived from South India ruled the north part of the country during the period from 429 to 455 AD. King Dhathusena defeated the invaders and united the country and then he wanted to rebuild the system by constructing several tanks, canals, etc. in. After completion of construction of Kala Wewa, the king built another tank called Balalu Wewa near by and his son King Mahinda II who ruled the country during 777 –797 CE expanded the tank further. King Dhathusena was very keen on information with regard to a very suitable to construct a tank to be the massive one in the history of Sri Lanka. There are some folklore on how the king was able to find a place for the tank he imagined, there was a man called Kadawara who left his family and went to live in the jungle due to his wife’s unbearable and repeated insults and disrespects towards him. After some years in the jungle he was accustomed with wild animals. King sent his army to catch him, Kadawara was caught and brought to the palace. When the king questioned him of the treasure, Kadawara revealed his true story and told real reason for his leaving the city, then king asked him of any interesting thing he had seen while living in the jungle. Kadawa said, “No sir, I have not seen anything interesting but in a brook somewhere in the jungle, according to this legend, it was the spot wherein the king created the Kala Wewa. First restoration to the tank is done by King Parakramabahu I in the 12th century, the tank was renovated several times in the past as in the period of British Governor Sir William Henry Gregory (1872–1877 and Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon. After the British rule in the country and in 1958, the tank’s bund was reconstructed connecting the tank with Balalu Wewa and its circumference is 40 miles and has a total area of 7 square miles at full capacity. Length of the dam is 22,572 feet and the height is 48 feet, there is a 12 meter high standing statue of Lord Buddha created by same ruler. This statue is named after the village it is situated so it is called Avukana Buddha statue, the reservoir served as one of largest irrigation tanks in ancient time. Being one of main storages in the Mahaweli Irrigation Scheme since 1976 and it is used for fresh water fishing and the flora, specially the grasses in its valley, is the main sources of silage for the herds of cattle in the area. The way to Anuradhapura via Dambulla reaches Kekirawa in the Kekirawa Divisional Secretariat and from there the distance to the tank is 6 miles
Kala Wewa
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General View of Kala Wewa
7.
Gandhara
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Gandhara is also an ancient name for Kandahar, Afghanistan. Gandhāra was an ancient Indic kingdom situated in the region of Pakistan. It encompassed the Peshawar valley and later extended to both Jalalabad district of modern-day Afghanistan as well as Taxila, in Pakistan. During the Achaemenid period and Hellenistic period, its city was Charsadda. It is mentioned in the Zend Avesta as Vaēkərəta, the sixth most beautiful place on earth and it was known as the crown jewel of Bactria and also held sway over Takṣaśilā. Gandhara existed since the time of the Rigveda and formed part of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC, after it was conquered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1001 AD, the name Gandhara disappeared. During the Muslim period, the area was administered from Lahore or from Kabul, during Mughal times, it was an independent district which included the Kabul province. The name Gāndhāra occurs later in the classical Sanskrit of the epics and it is recorded in Avestan as Vaēkərəta. The Gandhari people are a tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, the Atharvaveda, one proposed origin of the name is from the Sanskrit word gandha, meaning perfume and referring to the spices and aromatic herbs which they traded and with which they anointed themselves. Some authors have connected the modern name Kandahar to Gandhara, Herodotus records that those Iranic tribes, which were adjacent to the city of Caspatyrus and the district of Pactyïce, had customs similar to the Bactrians, and are the most warlike amongst them. These are also the people who obtain gold from the ant-hills of the adjoining desert, on the identity of Caspatyrus, there have been two opinions, one equating it with Kabul, the other with the name of Kashmir. The boundaries of Gandhara varied throughout history, sometimes the Peshawar Valley and Taxila were collectively referred to as Gandhara, sometimes the Swat Valley was also included. The heart of Gandhara, however, was always the Peshawar Valley, the kingdom was ruled from capitals at Kapisa, Pushkalavati, Taxila, Puruṣapura and in its final days from Udabhandapura on the River Indus. Evidence of the Stone Age human inhabitants of Gandhara, including stone tools, the artifacts are approximately 15,000 years old. More recent excavations point to 30,000 years before the present, the region shows an influx of southern Central Asian culture in the Bronze Age with the Gandhara grave culture, and the nucleus of Vedic civilisation. This culture flourished from 1500 to 500 BC and its evidence has been discovered in the hilly regions of Swat and Dir, and even at Taxila. The name of the Gandhāris is attested in the Rigveda and in ancient inscriptions dating back to Achaemenid Persia, the Behistun inscription listing the 23 territories of King Darius I includes Gandāra along with Bactria and Sattagydia. In the book Histories by Herodotus, Gandhara is named as a source of tax collections for King Darius, the Gandhāris, along with the Balhika, Mūjavants, Angas, and the Magadhas, are also mentioned in the Atharvaveda, as distant people
Gandhara
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Female spouted figure, terracotta, Charsadda, Gandhara, 3rd to 1st century BC
Victoria and Albert Museum
Gandhara
Gandhara
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Mother Goddess (fertility divinity), possibly derived from the
Indus Valley Civilization,
terracotta, Sar Dheri, Gandhara, 1st century BC,
Victoria and Albert Museum
Gandhara
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Genealogy and family tree of Malak Afghana, grandson of King Saul.
8.
Home Guard (Sri Lanka)
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The Sri Lanka Civil Security Force is a paramilitary force which is tasked as an auxiliary to the Sri Lanka Police. It is directed by the Civil Security Department, the activities relating to the Home Guard Service were established under the Mobilization of Supplementary Force Act No.40 of 1985. The local home guards came under the command of the local police and they are all volunteers deployed in their home towns and villages, to protect the civilian population from attacks by the LTTE. With the establishment of Civil Security Department, the Home Guards were re-designated as the Civil Security Force, the force is distinct from the Sri Lanka National Guard, which is a volunteer reserve regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Director General of the Civil Security Department is Mr Chandrarathne Pallegama, the functions to be performed by Home Guards are listed below, To serve as Auxiliary to the Police and generally help in maintaining internal security. To serve in static defensive duties such as man check points, guard low priority buildings, installations, to function as an Emergency Force intended for special tasks directly or indirectly connected with the defence of the country. To help the community in any kind of Emergency—such as any natural Calamity, providing security to centers of economic importance. Protecting main supply routes Following the start of Sri Lankan civil war many villages were attacked by LTTE which resulted in the deaths of many civilians, due to these attacks the villagers began to organize themselves to protect themselves. The original Home Guards were local volunteers, who were armed with shotguns by the government to protect themselves. National Home Guard Service was established as a Voluntary Service in the mid 1980s to protect the border/ threatened villages and they were issued with 12 bore shot guns and brown coloured uniforms. No allowances were paid, but some rations were issued through co-operative outlets, subsequently, they were paid a daily allowance and placed under the Police Department. They were issued uniforms and weapons and were under the command of the local Sri Lankan Police units, in 1988 female guardswomen were joined to the force. Since 1993 they have been issued with automatic rifles, in April 2006 the Home Guard was renamed as the Civil Defence Force followed by the establishment of the Department of Civil Security on 1 January 2007. Since its consumption its members have deployed outside their home villages to maintain public security even in Colombo. His Excellency the President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse by gazette notification No, 1462/20 dated 13 September 2006, re-structured the whole Home Guard Service and established the Civil Security Department. Numbers employed increased to 41,500 and one-month military training was introduced, further, two types of uniforms similar to military uniforms were issued. A reasonable salary was paid for the employees, taking action to safeguard the villages, properties and cities where terrorist threats are present. Assisting the Police and Armed Forces for the function of protecting Law, engaging with the Security on instances of National Events and any other important occasions
Home Guard (Sri Lanka)
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Sri Lanka Civil Security Force
9.
Buduruvagala
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Buduruwagala is an ancient buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. The complex consists of seven statues and belongs to the Mahayana school of thought, the statues date back to the 10th century. The gigantic Buddha statue still bears traces of its original stuccoed robe, the central of the three figures to the Buddhas right is thought to be the Buddhist mythological figure-the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. To the left of white painted figure is a female figure in the thrice-bent posture. Buduruvagala means the rock of Buddhist Sculptures Buduruvagala is located about 4 miles southeast of Wellawaya in Monaragala district, the largest of the standing Buddha statues is 51 feet from head to toe, is the largest standing Buddha statue of the island. Authorities generally date them to the 9th or 10th century, Buduruvagala does not have much historical records. Even its original name is unknown and it is thought to be a hermitage for monks. The sculptures of Buduruvagala also include sculptures of Bodhisattva images including Mahayana tradition. On the same rock where the sculptures are carved, there is a shape of about 3 feet wide and 4 feet heigh. It is of the shape of a flame, the inside wall of this carved shape is always wet of an oil that smells very much like Mustard oil. This oil comes to the shape with no explainable source or reason. Buduruwagala Museum Maligawila Buddha statue Dematamal viharaya Yudaganawa
Buduruvagala
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Three Buddha statues at Buduruvagala temple
Buduruvagala
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The name Buduruwagala is derived from the words for Buddha (Budu), images (ruva) and stone (gala). The figures are thought to date from around the 10th century and belong to the Mahayana Buddhist school, which enjoyed a brief heyday in Sri Lanka during this time.
Buduruvagala
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Avalokitesvara (the bodhisattva of compassion). To the left of this white-painted figure is a female figure thought to be his consort, Tara. Local legend says the third figure represents Prince Sudhana.
Buduruvagala
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The gigantic standing Buddha – at 16m, it is the tallest on the island – in the centre still bears traces of its original stuccoed robe, and a long streak of orange suggests it was once brightly painted
10.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
International Standard Book Number
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A 13-digit ISBN, 978-3-16-148410-0, as represented by an
EAN-13 bar code
11.
Jade Buddha Palace
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Jade Buddha Palace is a temple complex housing one of the largest jade Buddha statues in the world. Located in Anshan City in Liaoning province, China, the complex covers 22,104 square metres and it is situated beside Dongshan Scenic Reserve within 219 park of. The statue was sculpted from a piece of jade 7.95 metres high,6.88 metres wide,4.10 metres thick, the front of the stone has been carved with an image of Sakyamuni Buddha. On the back of the stone Guanyin Buddha has been carved, the jade stone was found on 22 July 1960 in Xiuyan County of Anshan which is known as the hometown of jade. It was declared a treasure of the State and listed as a property by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. Anshan city government commissioned the carving which took a team of 120 sculptors 18 months to complete, the temple complex was opened on 3 September 1996. The building that houses the jade Buddha statue is 33 metres tall and it claims to be one the tallest buildings of ancient Chinese architectural style in China
Jade Buddha Palace
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Front view of Anshan Jade Buddha
12.
Buddha Dordenma statue
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Great Buddha Dordenma is a gigantic Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the mountains of Bhutan celebrating the 60th anniversary of fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The statue houses over one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues, each of which, like the Great Buddha Dordenma itself, will be made of bronze and gilded in gold. The Great Buddha Dordenma is sited amidst the ruins of Kuensel Phodrang, the palace of Sherab Wangchuck, the thirteenth Desi Druk, overlooking the approach to Thimphu. Construction began in 2006 and was planned to finish in October 2010, the completed work is one of the largest Buddha rupas in the world, at 169 feet and contains 100,000 8-inch-tall and 25,000 12-inch-tall gilded bronze Buddhas. The statue was constructed at a cost of US$47 million by Aerosun Corporation of Nanjing, China, names of sponsors are displayed in the meditation hall which forms the throne of the Great Buddha Dordenma. Apart from commemorating the centennial of the Bhutanese monarchy, it fulfills two prophecies, additionally, the statue is mentioned in the ancient terma of Guru Padmasambhava himself, said to date from approximately the eighth century, and recovered some 800 years ago by terton Pema Lingpa. Under the eyes of the Buddha statue, the Kuensel Phodrang nature park formally opened in 2011, the park conserves 943.4 acres of forest area that surrounds the Buddha Dordenma statue and houses two public outdoor gymnasiums which opened in 2015. List of statues by height Buddha Dordenma Image Foundation Kuensel Newspaper article from 2005
Buddha Dordenma statue
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Buddha Dordenma
Buddha Dordenma statue
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Dordenma statue
13.
Buddha Park
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Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan, is a sculpture park located 25 km southeast from Vientiane, Laos in a meadow by the Mekong River. Although it is not a temple, the park may be referred to as Wat Xieng Khuan, the name Xieng Khuan means Spirit City. The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues, the socialist government operates Buddha Park as a tourist attraction and public park. The park was started in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat was a priest-shaman who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism. His unique perspective was influenced by a Hindu rishi under whom he studied in Vietnam, after the revolution in 1975, anxious about the repercussions of the rule of Pathet Lao, he fled from Laos to Thailand where he built another sculpture park, Sala Keoku in Nong Khai. Both parks are located next to the Thai-Lao border, only a few kilometers apart from each other. The statues are made of reinforced concrete and are ornate, and sometimes bizarre, the statues appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons, there are numerous sculptures of Buddha, characters of Buddhist beliefs like Avalokiteśvara, and characters of Hindu lore, including Shiva, Vishnu, and Arjuna. These sculptures were presumably cast by unskilled workers under the supervision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, one notable sculpture resembles a giant pumpkin. It has three stories representing three levels - Hell, Earth and Heaven, visitors can enter through an opening which is a mouth of a 3-metre-tall demon head and climb staircases from hell to heaven. Each story contains sculptures depicting the level, at the top, there is a vantage point where the entire park is visible. Another sculpture, an enormous 40-metre-long reclining Buddha, is also a park attraction
Buddha Park
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Buddha Park
Buddha Park
Buddha Park
14.
Buddhas of Bamiyan
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Built in 507 CE and 554 CE, the statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. They were 35 and 53 meters tall, respectively, the main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modeled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. The lower parts of the arms were constructed from the same mud-straw mix while supported on wooden armatures. It is believed that the parts of their faces were made from great wooden masks or casts. Rows of holes that can be seen in photographs were spaces that held wooden pegs that stabilized the outer stucco and they were dynamited and destroyed in March 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were idols. International opinion strongly condemned the destruction of the Buddhas, which in the years was primarily viewed as an example of the extreme religious intolerance of the Taliban. Japan and Switzerland, among others, have pledged support for the rebuilding of the statues, Bamiyan lies on the Silk Road, which runs through the Hindu Kush mountain region, in the Bamiyan Valley. The Silk Road has been historically a caravan route linking the markets of China with those of the Western world and it was the site of several Buddhist monasteries, and a thriving center for religion, philosophy, and art. Monks at the monasteries lived as hermits in small caves carved into the side of the Bamiyan cliffs, Most of these monks embellished their caves with religious statuary and elaborate, brightly colored frescoes. It was a Buddhist religious site from the 2nd century up to the time of the Islamic invasion in the half of the 7th century. Until it was conquered by the Muslim Saffarids in the 9th century. The two most prominent statues were the giant standing Buddhas Vairocana and Sakyamuni, identified by the different mudras performed, the Buddha popularly called Solsol measured 53 meters tall, and Shahmama 35 meters—the niches in which the figures stood are 58 and 38 meters respectively from bottom to top. Before being blown up in 2001 they were the largest examples of standing Buddha carvings in the world, since then the Spring Temple Buddha has been built in China, and at 128 m it is the tallest statue in the world. The smaller of the statues was built between 544 and 595, the larger was built between 591 and 644, the larger figure was also said to portray Dīpankara Buddha. He also noted that both Buddha figures were decorated with gold and fine jewels, intriguingly, Xuanzang mentions a third, even larger, reclining statue of the Buddha. A monumental seated Buddha, similar in style to those at Bamiyan, the destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas became a symbol of oppression and a rallying point for the freedom of religious expression. Despite the fact that most Afghans are now Muslim, they too had embraced their past, in 1221 with the advent of Genghis Khan a terrible disaster befell Bamiyan, nevertheless, the statues were spared. Later, the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, tried to use artillery to destroy the statues
Buddhas of Bamiyan
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The taller of the two Buddhas of Bamiyan in 1976
Buddhas of Bamiyan
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History of Afghanistan
Buddhas of Bamiyan
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Drawing of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by Alexander Burnes 1832
Buddhas of Bamiyan
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Taller Buddha in 1963 and in 2008 after destruction
15.
Gal Vihara
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The Gal Vihara, also known as Gal Viharaya and originally as the Uttararama, is a rock temple of the Buddha situated in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was fashioned in the 12th century by Parakramabahu I, the central feature of the temple is four rock relief statues of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a large granite rock. The images consist of a seated figure, another smaller seated figure inside an artificial cavern, a standing figure. These are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient Sinhalese sculpting and carving arts, the images of Uttararama follow a different style from the images of the previous Anuradhapura period, and show some significant differences. The identity of the image is subject to a certain amount of dispute among historians and archaeologists. Each of the images have been carved in a way that uses a maximum area of the rock. Each statue appears to have had its own house, as indicated by the remains of brick walls at the site. The Uttararama was where Parakramabahu I held a congregation of monks to purify the Buddhist priesthood and this code of conduct has been recorded in an inscription on the same rock face containing the images of the Buddha. The Gal Vihara or rock monastery was originally named Uttararama the northern monastery and it is located in Polonnaruwa, and according to the Cūḷavaṃsa was one of the more prominent of the hundred temples built throughout Lanka by King Parakramabahu I. The Cūḷavaṃsa mentions that Parakramabahu I had his workmen build three caves in the rock after finishing the temple, the Vijjadhara Guha, the Nissina Patima Lena, and the Nipanna Patima Guha. Although they are described as caves, only the Vijjadhara Guha is a cave, while the others were image houses similar to the Thivanka and Lankathilaka and he held a congregation of monks to reconcile the three fraternities, and purified the order by expelling corrupt monks. With the help of the elders of each fraternity, he drew up a katikavata for Buddhist monks. The area in front of the images, which now resembles a terrace, is believed to be the location of the hall where this congregation was held. The inscription recording the code has been carved on the flat, the Uttararama was abandoned during the fall of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. It had functioned as an educational establishment from its inception to its abandonment, three of the images are quite large, the smallest of them is more than 15 feet tall, and the largest is more than 46 feet long. However, the image is just over 4 feet and located inside an artificial cavern carved into the rock. A seated image is on the side of the rock. Further to the right are an image, and then a reclining image
Gal Vihara
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The images of Gal Vihara, carved on a single, large rock face.
Gal Vihara
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The seated image, which depicts the dhyana mudra, shows signs of Mahayana influence.
Gal Vihara
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Vidyhadhara Guha
Gal Vihara
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The reclining image, which depicts the Buddha's
parinirvana, is the largest in Gal Vihara.
16.
Gifu Great Buddha
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The Gifu Great Buddha is a large Buddhist statue located in Shōhō-ji in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was conceived by the 11th head priest of Kinpouzan Shōhō temple, Ichyuu, around 1790, Ichyuu died in 1815 before it was completed, but his successor, Priest Kohshuu completed it in April 1832, after 38 years of construction. It is one of the three great Buddha portrait statues in Japan, the Great Buddha of Gifu is unique due to the method of its construction. First, a central pillar 1.8 meters in circumference was formed from tree wood. The Buddhas shape was formed using bamboo lattices. The bamboo was covered with clay to add shape and many Buddhist scriptures were then placed upon the clay, finally, the scriptures were covered in lacquer and gold leaf, giving the Buddha the appearance that it has today. Get off the bus at Gifu Koen, Rekishi Hakubutsukan-mae, approximately 15 minutes from the train stations
Gifu Great Buddha
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Gifu Great Buddha
17.
Grand Buddha at Ling Shan
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The Grand Buddha is located at the south of the Longshan Mountain, near Mashan, town of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, Peoples Republic of China. It is one of the largest Buddha statues in China and also in the world, at more than 88 metres high, the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan is a bronze Amitabha standing Buddha outdoor, weighing over 700 tons. It was completed at the end of 1996, in 2008, a Five-signets Palace and a Brahma Palace were built south-east of the grand buddha statue. List of statues by height Travel guide in Jiangsu and other provinces
Grand Buddha at Ling Shan
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Giant Buddha and 217 Steps, Wuxi
Grand Buddha at Ling Shan
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Lingshan Brahma Palace
Grand Buddha at Ling Shan
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Inside Ling Shan Brahma Palace
Grand Buddha at Ling Shan
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Ling Shan "Five-signets" Palace
18.
Kamagaya Great Buddha
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The Kamagaya Great Buddha is the smallest Daibutsu in Japan. It was completed in November 1776 and is located in Kamagaya, total Height,2.3 metres Height of Statue,1.8 metres Height of Base,0.5 metres From Funabashi Station, board a bus towards Kamagaya-Daibutsu via Futawamichi. Alight at Kamagaya-Daibutsu, the final stop, the nearest train station is Kamagaya-Daibutsu Station. It takes approximately 24 minutes from Matsudo Station,17 minutes from Shin-Tsudanuma Station and 21 minutes from Keisei-Tsudanuma Station and it is approximately one minutes walk from the Kamagaya-Daibutsu Station
Kamagaya Great Buddha
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Kamagaya Great Buddha
19.
Leshan Giant Buddha
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The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-metre tall stone statue, built between 713 and 803, depicting Maitreya. It is carved out of a face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet and it is the largest stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, construction was started in 713, led by a Chinese monk named Hai Tong. He hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels traveling down the river, when funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. After his death, however, the construction was due to insufficient funding. About 70 years later, a decided to sponsor the project. A sophisticated drainage system was incorporated into the Leshan Giant Buddha when it was built and it is still in working order. It includes drainage pipes carved into various places on the body, when the Giant Buddha was carved, a huge thirteen storey wood structure was built to shelter it from rain and sunshine. This structure was destroyed and sacked by the Mongols during the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, from then on, the stone statue was exposed to the elements. The Leshan Buddha has been affected by the pollution emanating from the development in the region. The government has promised restoration work, at 71 metres tall, the statue depicts a seated Maitreya Buddha with his hands resting on his knees. His shoulders are 28 metres wide and his smallest toenail is large enough to accommodate a seated person. There is a saying, The mountain is a Buddha. Buddhist art Chinese Buddhism List of statues by height Tang Dynasty List of colossal sculpture in situ UNESCO More information Leshan Grand Buddha - Da Fo LeShan Giant Buddha Travel Guide
Leshan Giant Buddha
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
Leshan Giant Buddha
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Detailed close-up shot of the statue's face
Leshan Giant Buddha
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The size of a man at one of the statue's feet
Leshan Giant Buddha
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leshan giant buddha
20.
Maitreya Project
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The Maitreya Project is an international organisation, operating since 1990, which intends to construct statues of Maitreya Buddha in India and perhaps elsewhere. Initial plans were for a 152-metre colossal statue, to be built in either Kushinagar or Bodhgaya and these plans have since changed, and the Maitreya Project now intends to construct relatively modest statues in both towns. The project was initiated by the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, on Friday 13 December 2013 the State Government of Uttar Pradesh handed over approximately 275 acres of land for the site of the Maitreya Project in Kushinagar. The land is adjacent to the Parinirvana Temple denoting the place where Buddha Shakyamuni passed into Parinirvana. On that same day, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, Maitreya Projects Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Board of Trustees of the Maitreya Project Trust attended as state guests. The Project reports for 1990–2008 outgoings of more than US$20 million, nita Ing has taken over responsibility for the funding of the statue in Bodhgaya. Peter Kedge, Director and CEO of the Maitreya Project has posted a number of replies to these criticisms
Maitreya Project
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Computer-generated rendering of the Maitreya Project Statue as originally proposed.
Maitreya Project
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Maitreya Project Relic Roadshow.
21.
Sala Keoku
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Sala Keoku is a park featuring giant fantastic concrete sculptures inspired by Buddhism. It is located near Nong Khai, Thailand in immediate proximity of the Thai-Lao border, the park has been built by and reflects the personal vision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat and his followers. It shares the style of Sulilats earlier creation, Buddha Park on the Lao side of Mekong, some of the Sala Keoku sculptures tower up to 25m in the sky. Those include a depiction of Buddha meditating under the protection of a seven-headed Naga snake. The Sala Keoku pavilion is a large concrete building, whose domes bear a surprising resemblance to a mosque. It was constructed following Sulilats plans after his death, the 3rd floor hosts a large number of Sulilat-related artifacts, as well as his mummified body. The composition culminates with a man taking a step across the fence surrounding the entire installation to become a Buddha statue on the other side. John Maizels, Raw Vision Outsider Art Sourcebook, Raw Vision Ltd, pp. 98–99
Sala Keoku
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Sala Keoku: one step to
Buddhahood
Sala Keoku
Sala Keoku
22.
Spring Temple Buddha
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The Spring Temple Buddha is a statue depicting Vairocana Buddha located in the Zhaocun township of Lushan County, Henan, China, built from 1997 to 2008. It is located within the Fodushan Scenic Area, close to National Freeway no.311, at 128 m, including a 20 m lotus throne, it is the tallest statue in the world. Taking into account the 25 m pedestal/building it is placed upon, as of October 2008, the hill on which the statue stands is being reshaped to form two further pedestals, the upper one being 15 m tall. The total height of the monument is now said to be 208 m, the project as a whole was estimated to cost around $55 million, $18 million of which being spent on the statue. It was originally estimated to consist of 1,100 pieces of copper cast, beneath the statue is a Buddhist monastery. The Spring Temple Buddha derives its name from the nearby Tianrui hot spring, the Foquan Temple, built during the Tang dynasty, houses the Bell of Good Luck, placed on top of Dragon Head peak. This bronze bell weighs 116 tonnes, list of statues by height Photographs, close up Fodushan scenic area
Spring Temple Buddha
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Spring Temple Buddha
23.
Tian Tan Buddha
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Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a large bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. The statue is sited near Po Lin Monastery and symbolises the relationship between man and nature, people and faith. It is a centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong, and is also a popular tourist attraction. The statue is named Tian Tan Buddha because its base is a model of the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan, one of the five large Buddha statues in China, it is enthroned on a lotus on top of a three-platform altar. Surrounding it are six smaller bronze statues known as The Offering of the Six Devas that are posed offering flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha. These symbolise the Six Perfections of generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, the statue is 34 metres tall, weighs over 250 metric tons, and was constructed from 202 bronze pieces. In addition to the components, there is a strong steel framework inside to support the heavy load. Reputedly the figure can be seen across the bay from as far away as Macau on a clear day, visitors have to climb 268 steps to reach the Buddha, though the site also features a small winding road for vehicles to accommodate the handicapped. The Buddhas right hand is raised, representing the removal of affliction and he faces north, which is unique among the great Buddha statues, as all others face south. There are also three floors beneath the statue, the halls of the Universe, of Benevolent Merit and of Remembrance, one of the most renowned features inside is a relic of Gautama Buddha, consisting of some of his alleged cremated remains. Only visitors who purchase an offering for the Buddha are allowed to see the relic, there is a huge carved bell inscribed with images of Buddhas in the show room. It was designed to ring every seven minutes,108 times a day, the Tian Tan Buddha was constructed beginning in 1990, and was finished on 29 December 1993, which the Chinese reckon as the day of the Buddhas enlightenment. When the statue was completed, monks from around the world were invited to the opening ceremony. Distinguished visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United States all took part in the proceedings. On 18 October 1999, the Hong Kong Post Office issued a definitive issue of landmark stamps, on 22 May 2012 it was also featured on the HK$3 value of the Five Festival set, this one celebrating the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha. The MTR corporation has issued a souvenir ticket featuring a photograph of the statue. Po Lin Monastery and the Buddha are open to the public between 10,00 and 17,30, access to the outside of the Buddha is free of charge, but there is an admission fee to go inside the Buddha. Visitors can reach the site by bus or taxi, travelling first to Mui Wo via ferry from the Outlying Islands piers in Central or to Tung Chung station via the MTR, or cable car
Tian Tan Buddha
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The Big Buddha
Tian Tan Buddha
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Tian Tan Buddha from afar
Tian Tan Buddha
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"The Offering of the Six Devas": Buddhistic statues praising and making offerings to the Tian Tan Buddha.
Po Lin Monastery can be seen in the background.
Tian Tan Buddha
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View from the upper platform, with the detail of the Buddha's robes clearly visible.
24.
Ushiku Daibutsu
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Ushiku Daibutsu is a statue located in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Completed in 1993, it stands a total of 120 metres tall, including the 10 m base, as of 2016, it is one of the top three tallest statues in the world. An elevator takes visitors up 85 m to an observation floor, the statue depicts Amitabha Buddha and is made of bronze. It is also known as Ushiku ARCADIA and it was built to commemorate the birth of Shinran, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū 浄土真宗 or True Pure Land School of Buddhism. Level 1, Infinite Light and Infinite Life The first floor lobby is dark, in the center of the room a single shaft of light shines from above onto a cauldron of smoking incense. Beyond it is the elevator to the other floors, Daibutsu Kōtoku-in, temple in Kamakura, home to second largest seated bronze Buddha statue in Japan. Tōdai-ji, temple in Nara, home to largest seated bronze Buddha statue in Japan, leshan Giant Buddha in China, the tallest stone Buddha sculpture in the world. Tian Tan Buddha, located in Hong Kong, worlds tallest seated Buddha statue, list of statues by height, many of which are Buddhist statues Official website
Ushiku Daibutsu
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