30/01/2024
The statue was constructed at a cost of US$47 million by Aerosun Corporation of Nanjing, China, which was sponsored by Rinchen Peter Teo a Singaporean businessman. The total cost of the entire project is well over US$100 million. The interior will accommodate respectively. 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. In the twentieth century, the yogi Sonam Zangpo prophesied that a large statue of either Padmasambhava, Buddha or of a phurba would be built in the region to bestow blessings, peace and happiness on the whole world. Additionally, the statue is mentioned in the ancient terma of Guru Rinpoche, a.k.a. Padmasambhava, himself, said to date from approximately the eighth century, and recovered some 600 years ago by terton Pema Lingpa.[citation needed]
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.[5][6]
