Morning, readers. A few days ago I was reading a publication about the inauguration of the largest sculpture in the world and I must admit that I was impressed with the images they shared. I don't know if it happens to you, but when I see this kind of impressive structure because of its size, it usually gives me a feeling of insignificance and humility.

After reading that article, I had the task of reviewing which were the largest sculptures in the world and I had many surprises. For example, Venezuela is on the list with the 47-meter sculpture of the Virgin of Peace; I also saw the Christ the Redeemer of Brazil and the Statue of Liberty of the United States, although very famous, are not among the first; likewise, almost all the great sculptures are in China and Japan, and most of them are Buddhist representations.

As good things have to be shared and knowledge has to be multiplied, today I wanted to share with you the 5 largest sculptures in the world. I ordered them from the least to the greatest. I hope you appreciate their size and majesty.

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5. Guan Yin in China(108 meters)

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The Chinese city of Sanya has the graceful statue of the goddess Guanyin. Guanyin, the goddess of mercy is the bodhisattva of compassion and is revered by Chinese Buddhists. The name Guanyin is the abbreviation of Guanshiyin which means "the one who observes the sounds or cries for the world". In China, it is said that fishermen often pray to her to ensure safe travel. The official inauguration of Sanya's South Sea Guanyin took place in 2005 and its construction took 6 years. The appearance of the statue may seem quite unusual to most people, who are far from the complexities of Buddhist culture. The fact is that the sculpture of the goddess represents three people. One of them enters the island of Hainan, while the other two look out to sea. The hands of the goddess are also stacked in three different positions, so the sculpture symbolizes the total protection of the country through ritual sign language.

Total height 135 m

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4. Buddha of Ushiku Japan (110)

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This statue was inaugurated in 1995, its construction took several years and the motive was to pay tribute to Shinran Shonin, founder of one of the most representative Buddhist schools in Japan, Pureland Buddhism. Its structure is made of steel and plated in bronze, it weighs 4000 tons. The statue itself is a four-story building and can be entered. It contains a museum with quite a few Buddha images and is a center of worship. The Buddha's chest level can be reached at 85 meters by means of an internal elevator; there are windows inside the Buddha at that level to observe the panorama of the surrounding areas.

It includes a lotus throne of 10 meters, on a pedestal-building also of 10 meters. Total height of the monument: 120 meters

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3. Laykyun Sekkya Buddha of Burma (116 meters)

Sorce

This sculpture, painted in bright yellow, stands on a 13.5 metre pedestal. It is located in the village of Khatakan Taung, near the neighbouring village of Monywa in Sagaing Province, Burma. Construction began in 1996 and the statue was completed on 21 February 2008. Inside there is a series of stairs that allow you to climb to the top to get the best views of Monywa village. To reach this statue there are countless covered staircases and souvenir stalls. There is also a platform where you have to take off your shoes. Since its completion in 2008, Laykyun Setkyar's image has become one of Myanmar's main tourist attractions, present-day Burma.

It's perched on a 13.5 metre lotus throne. Total height of 130 meters

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2. Spring Temple Buddha in China (128 meters)

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Until recently it was considered the largest sculpture in the world. This sculpture is located in the "Fodushan Scenic Area", within the municipality of Zhaocun, China. The Buddha of the Spring Temple represents the Buddha Vairocanase and construction began in 1997 and was completed in 2008. The Buddha himself is enormous. It is made of 108 kilograms of gold, 3,300 tons of copper alloy and 15,000 tons of steel. It is estimated to have cost about 55 million dollars. To get closer to the feet of the statue, it will be necessary to climb approximately 1,000 steps. Any visitor can come to touch his toes and really realize the majesty of this wonder.

This sculpture includes a 20 metre lotus throne on a 25 metre pedestal-building. Total height 153 m

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1. Statue of Sardar Patel in India (182 meters)

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The Unity Statue is a monument dedicated to the Indian politician Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (one of the founders of modern India). The statue is located in the province of Guyarat, India, next to the Narmada River. This is the largest statue in the world and is capable of withstanding earthquakes of up to 6.5 degrees Richter scale and winds of up to 180 km/hour. The project was first announced on 7 October 2010 and was inaugurated on 31 October this year. The total height of the statue, from its base, is 240 meters. The base has a height of 58 meters and the statue is 182 meters. It would be built with a steel structure, reinforced concrete and bronze coating. When the $420 million project is finally completed, the Unity Statue complex will have a visitor center, a museum inside the base, a memorial garden, an amusement park and even a hotel to accommodate tourists.

Total height of 240 meters, as it includes the pedestal of 58 meters

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Since ancient times, man has had the need to sculpt. At first he did it with the simplest materials and he had more at hand: stone, clay and wood. Then he used iron, bronze, gold, lead, wax, plaster, fiberglass reinforcement, concrete, kinetics and light reflection, among others. The sculpture had in its beginning only one function, its immediate use; later a ritual, magical, funerary and religious function was added, it also acquired political functions. Each sculpture, smaller or larger, serves to represent the power of some religions, preserve the memory of peoples, defend political projects. Another use of sculpture, which over time became its most common function, is aesthetics, which seeks to represent the beauty or artistic ideals of an era and the majesty of these societies.

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I hope you enjoyed this post, as much as I enjoyed doing it. I invite you to vote for Hive account@adsactly as a witness and to join our server in discord. Until the next smile. ;)