Bihar CM Unveils 70-Foot-Tall Statue Of Buddha In Rajgir Lake, In Bid To Boost Eco-Tourism

A 70-foot-tall Buddha statue was unveiled in Bihar on Sunday (25 November) at Ghora Katora lake in Rajgir by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Patna Daily has reported.

The statue, seated in the middle of the lake on a 16-metre radius pedestal, has been built at a cost of around Rs 13 crore and is made of 45,000 cubic feet of pink sandstone brought from Chunar in Uttar Pradesh.

The ceremony for the statue’s unveiling was presided over by the chief priest of the Mahabodhi temple, Bhante Chalinda, in presence of the deputy chief minister of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi. Leaders of NDA, top government officials and other Buddhist monks were present.

Japanese monk of Vishwa Shanti Stupa in Rajgir, T Okanagi, and other monks from Tibet also performed prayers on the occasion.

The Chief Minister, after unveiling the statue, said a world-class park, work for which is going on, will be developed around the lake in order to boost eco-tourism in the area.

In order to keep the area immaculate and without any human-caused pollution, the visitors will be allowed to come only on foot, bicycles, rickshaws, horse-buggies and battery-operated vehicles.