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10 May 2012, 17:50China's Tibet to make Buddha statue for Tuva
Kyzyl, May 10, Interfax - A plant in Tibet, China, will make a 15-meter-tall Buddha statue, which will be erected near Kyzyl, the Tuva government said on Thursday.
"It was originally planned to place the order in Volgodonsk, Rostov region, where a 10-meter Buddha statue had been made for the Kalmykia capital city Elista. However, the Volgodonsk plant's price exceeded the total cost of the project. A Tibet plant in China will help us halve the expenditures," the government said.
The gilded statue will be made of fiberglass - a light and durable material.
Tuva Buddhist initiated the construction of a gilded Buddha statue in July 2008. Dalai Lama XIV approved the project, and the Tuva government and republican leader Sholban Kara-ool asked businessmen to assist the initiative.
The Tuva leader made a personal contribution of one million rubles.
The monument will be installed on holy Mount Dogee. There will be a six-meter-high throne for Buddha mediating in the lotus position. Initially, the statue was supposed to be 40 meters tall.
"Designers recommended building a statue of 15 meters for better seismic stability of the monument. Nevertheless, the Buddha statue in Tuva will be the tallest in Russia," the government said.
The monument, which will be placed at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level, will be seen from any place in the Tuva capital city.
The total cost of the project is 13 million rubles, and three million rubles have been spent on the Buddha throne. Volunteers started the construction works on Mount Dogee last year. The project will be complete this year.
Sociologists say 52% of 312,000 people in Tuva call themselves Buddhists. |
