Travel Blog (06-12-2024) : Visit 100ft Lion Bed Gautama Buddha Statue in Cox's Bazar.

_{Hello Everyone. I am @shiftitamanna
From #Bangladesh}

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Assalamu Alaikum everyone. Today is the first day of my Cox's Bazar trip. So here I am to share with you the first day trip. Today I have planned to visit Ramu Upazila of Cox's Bazar. So as per the plan, I left for Ramu, the historic upazila of Cox's Bazar district. In fact Ramu Upazila has many monuments to visit which are historical and significant temples and viharas of Bangladesh.

The most remarkable thing about Ramu is that it has many ancient Buddhist monuments rich in ancient history. To say that it seems like a piece of Thailand in Bangladesh. There are about 35 Buddhist temples here. And the most attractive place for me is the 100 feet long throne statue of Gautama Buddha located on the hilltop of North Mithachari of Ramu Upazila which is the main attraction for tourists. Apart from these, there are many other temples or Viharas and along with this there is also the famous rubber plantation. But I had only two days time so I only had the opportunity to visit two tourist spots in Ramu Upazila.

Today I am going to take a tour on the first day of my Cox's Bazar trip to the site of the 100 feet long couched statue of Gautama Buddha. This pilgrimage place in Ramu Upazila of Cox's Bazar is a place of worship not only for Bangladeshi tourists but also for tourists from all over the world. Ramu Upazila is located about 14 km from my hotel. I rented a CSG from my hotel for Rs.800/- (Steem price 28.57). Then I left to see the 100-foot tall Buddha statue and the meditation center.

It took about 40 minutes for me to reach. Then I went to a ticket counter near the main gate and bought the ticket. The ticket price was only Rs.20/- (Steam price 0.71). Then I noticed that they are taking the money from the sale of these tickets for the cleaning, development and improvement of the Buddhist monastery.

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I first saw this statue after entering through the front door. The statue is well crafted. And with it there is a huge staircase. It is basically located on a hill. Around the stairs I saw hidden an unseen sight that I liked very much. But I had to take my shoes off to climb the stairs. And I respect this a lot because it is better to visit the holy places of every religion barefoot.

While climbing the stairs, I saw numerous small statues of Gautama Buddha on both sides which added to the beauty of the stairs. I climb the stairs in a calm and quiet environment and look at each of the statues. However, the original 100-foot-long enthroned statue of Gautama Buddha is located further inside.

There were 88 steps in total as I climbed the stairs. And after going through this step, you can see the meditation center and the 100 feet Gautama Buddha statue. Each idol had a different characteristic. Looking at the eyes of the Buddha statues, I felt that they were blessing all the creatures with good eyes. So visitors come from far and wide to see the observation with their own eyes.

I see different types of statues here. Among them I took pictures of three types of statues. Which had a different design. I went to the top of the stairs to have a look. From there, the stairs and the idols on either side looked more beautiful. After climbing to the top of the stairs, I moved further forward. Because after that, the 100-foot statue of Gautama Buddha was built.

After that I came to the place where the largest 100 feet long enthroned Gautama Buddha statue is located. The statue of Gautama Buddha is made in reclining position resting head on right elbow. This statue is named Vishwa shanti Singhashya Gautam Buddha statue which was started in 2006 as a private initiative by Shrimat Karunasree Mahathero who is the founder and director of this statue. Craftsmen came from neighboring Myanmar to build the 100-foot statue. And it took three and a half long years to make the statue and it was completed in 2009.

Talking to the people of the Bhavna Center of Buddhist Vihara, it was also learned that the great man Gautama Buddha showed the path of light to the Buddhist nation with the message of non-violence, equality and friendship. And the entire Buddhist community regards him as a symbol of peace and a guide to Buddhists. So the idol was built with much devotion and respect which cost about crores of rupees. This Buddhist statue measures 100 feet in length and 60 feet in height and is spread over an area of about 2 acres.

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The 100 feet statue of Buddha is painted in golden color. According to the belief of Buddhists, since gold is very valuable in the world, Gautama Buddha is compared to gold. Because Gautama Buddha is as precious as gold according to the Buddhist nation. I was very excited to see this 100 feet sculpture. Because the statue was really huge. Where I looked so small in front of him. The statue looked wonderful with him in the greenery.

One thing I noticed in the Buddhist temple is that many tourists have come, but since it is a religious institution, there is no noise from the people. And the atmosphere of the temple is very peaceful. I take some more photos to keep the memory with the Buddha statue. The center of thought was on one side of the 100 feet statue. Basically the responsible people are called monks. Their job is to maintain the temple and propagate Buddhism.

Inside the meditation center is a temple where Buddhists worship. The temple has metal Buddha images and Tipitaka's in different languages ​​written on palm leaves which are at least as old. And along with it there are ancient archeological monuments that are a source of pride for Buddhists.

While looking at the Buddhist monastery, I saw a Dharma worshiper a short distance away. He is about 100 years old. He is a very old man. I didn't go near him but I saw many visitors passing by him by donating some money. So I also came with some money.

Then I saw a monk in charge holding the hand of a Buddhist student. He also looks very old. On seeing me, he asked my name and asked me where I came from. After I introduced myself, I came to know that he was serving as a priest of the Buddhist temple here and a teacher of Buddhist students for a long time. India is its original habitat. He originally came here from India. I learned from him that Buddhists from China, Nepal, Japan, Thailand, Bhutan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar regularly come here to see this 100 feet tall Buddha statue.

I have decided to leave here after saying goodbye to him. Because from here I will go to the second spot according to my plan. I really like this Buddhist monastery. And I didn't just come to see prehistoric artifacts but I also came to learn about archaeology. As a tourist city of Cox's Bazar, tourists visit Buddhist temples and archaeological sites throughout the year. So we should also maintain them so that they contribute to the development of tourism industry and economic development of Bangladesh.

Then I walked out of the Buddhist monastery and went to a restaurant. There I will have lunch today. I go to a nearby restaurant and order food there. I ordered rice, beef, aloo bharta and masoor dal. The food was quite good.

After the meal I will leave for another temple. I heard that it is very big and it will take time to visit the whole. So after I finished my lunch I rested for a while. I will share with you my next Buddhist temple in the second part of my travel blog. I have no shortage of enthusiasm to see these Buddhist temples in Ramu Upazila of Cox's Bazar. And in this winter season there is an overflowing crowd of tourists. Will not be or why? The architectural style of the Buddhist monasteries is magnificent which carries a history of thousands of years. So friends, see you in the second episode of the Buddhist temple blog. Until then stay with me.

100 feet statue of Gautama Buddha

All images in the article have been captured by me with Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra device from the above location source.

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