The huge 51m-tall steel statue of Buddha Dordenma commands the entry to the Thimphu valley. The massive three-storey base houses a large chapel, while the body itself is filled with 125,000 smaller statues of Buddha. The Buddha looks best in morning light, or at night when it is illuminated.
The huge 51m-tall steel statue of Buddha Dordenma commands the entry to the Thimphu valley. The massive three-storey base houses a large chapel, while the body itself is filled with 125,000 smaller statues of Buddha. The Buddha looks best in morning light, or at night when it is illuminated.
The statue was made in China (of course), cut into pieces and then shipped and trucked in from Phuentsholing – we would love to have seen the faces of the local farmers as the super-sized features of the Buddha drove by! The paved road to the site, also known as 'Buddha Point', passes a new Hindu temple and is a popular biking route. A 3.5km mountain-bike trail branches off from just below the Buddha site to Depsi, near Babesa. The area is also called Changri Kuensel Phodrang after the former palace of the 13th Druk Desi that once stood here.