A view of the back of the Great Unification Buddha (통일대불) in Seoraksan National Park (설악산국립공원), South Korea. The Buddha is the largest seated bronze Buddha statue in the world, at 14.6m high, excluding the halo, lightning rod and pedestal.
The statue's name, Tongil Daebul, means 'Unification Buddha', and it was built to symbolise the Korean people's hope for the reunification of North and South Korea. The statue cost 3.8 billion won ($4.1 million) to erect, which was raised over a decade, with the construction being completed in 1997.
The Great Unification Buddha sits on a lotus pedestal, which is flanked with 16 inscribed panels that tell of the entire path of Buddha's enlightenment through the words of the Bodhisattva, messengers of Buddha's teaching. Including the pedestal, the total statue height is 18.9m, and has a total weight of 108 tons.
Below the sitting Buddha statue is a temple dedicated to the bodhisattva thousand-armed and eyed Avalokiteśvara (1,000개의 손과 눈을 천수천안관세음보살). Avalokiteśvara means "Lord who looks down", and is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas.
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