Here is a 45 foot statue that would be incredible to see in person. There is amazing detail in the carvings behind the Buddha, which seemed to have taken a long time to create due to the size of the cave. The drapery that the Buddha has on looks very light, which is extremely difficult to do with a carving. The one next to the seated Buddha on the right gives an opening appearance, as if he's waving at whoever is looking at the sculpture with a friendly gesture. It would have been an awesome sight to see this in it's entirety, but since the front part has crumbled away we only have this to see, which is still remarkable. One of these days I'm going to see this in person.
I would like to go on that excursion to see this myself. The open hand is common in Buddha mantra positions and allows us to see the wheel that distinguishes who he is.
ReplyDeleteI have always been interested to learn about Buddhism and I always thought Buddha was an interesting character. I think the whole idea of Buddhism is really thoughtful and sweet, and when Buddha is seen in most art he is so calm and worry-free. Wouldn't it be nice to live a selfless worry-free life?!
ReplyDeleteAnd I totally agree that I would go to the end of the earth to see this in person! This should be one of the wonders of the world!