Bhutan - 45 ft. Buddha statue to stand tall at Centenary Park

Coinciding with the32^nd Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the King, a group of Thai people laid a foundation stone to erect a Buddha statue. The 45 feet tall statue of a walking Buddha is the first of its kind in the country. The abbot of Thailand Venerable Phrakhrusangkharak Boonsong Upasamo and Minister for Works and Human Settlement laid the foundation stone.

More than hundred Thai people and Bhutanese gathered at the Centenary Park to celebrate the Birth Anniversary of His Majesty by laying the foundation stone for a walking Buddha.

Ninety nine balloons were released and candles were lighted for peace. Thai and Bhutanese monks then chanted prayers. As part of the celebration, classical Thai dance to worship Buddha, traditional Bhutanese dance and mask dance were performed.

The statue is worth approximately Baht 500 million. It is expected to be built within 38 days and will be consecrated on April this year. The princess of Thailand personally donated about three million baht while the rest were donated by the people of Thailand.

The statue facing Thimphu town will be built on a platform of lotus along with symbolic animals like horse and elephant among others.

Bhutan - Buddha’s relic displayed in Thailand

The tooth relic of Lord Buddha, which was taken from Bhutan,is being displayed to thousands of worshippers comprising of local residents and tourists in the northern province of Chiang Mai, Thailand. A procession was held to receive the relic from the Chiang Mai Airport to the temple.

Officials from the National Office of Buddhism brought the relic by air to Chiang Mai to be put on display at the main hall of Phra Sing Worawihan Temple.

The relic will be on display in Chiang Mai until January 19. After that, it will be taken to the southern province of Songkhla and the northeastern province of Khon Kaen before being taken to Bangkok.

The relic will be returned to Bhutan on February 20.

Reports say that Bhutan has lent Thailand the relic as part of the celebrations of the 84^th birth anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand last month. The relic was earlier displayed in Bangkok during the Royal birthday celebrations.

Bhutan - Buddha’s tooth relic arrives in Bhutan

His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, Their Majesties the Queen Mothers, and Their Royal Highnesses the Princes and Princesses offered prayers and received blessings from the sacred tooth relics of Lord Buddha and his two chief disciples.

The relics of Lord Buddha, Sangay Shacha Thupa, and his two chief disciples, Sharibu and Mougelgibu will be displayed at the Tendrey Thang from tomorrow till Wednesday.

The relics will be kept in the country for a month. They will also be displayed in Punakha, Tsirang, Trongsa, Monggar, Trashigang and Samdrup Jongkhar.

The relics arrived in the Kingdom today with the Prime Minister who was returning home after attending the 66^th UN general assembly in New York.

They belong to the Maha Bodhi Society which has its headquarters in Kolkata, India. The Prime Minister is the president of the Maha Bodhi Society.

Arriving at the Paro Airport, the sacred relics were received in a chipdrel procession by the Tsugla Lopen of central monastic body, cabinet ministers, and senior government officials, monks of the Paro rabdey, dzongkhag officials and local leaders.

They were brought to Bhutan on the request of the Prime Minister. They will remain in Bhutan for one month.

This is the first time that the relics were brought to Bhutan.

On his way back home from the UN general assembly in New York, the Prime Minister attended the Maha Bodhi Society’s 114^th Annual General Meeting in Kolkata, India.

Lyonchen Jigmi Yoeser Thinley made offerings and prayers for the wellbeing of all sentient beings and protection from natural calamities. He also offered prayers for the victims of the recent earthquake in India.