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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = ''Buddha Statue of Hyderabad''
| image = Buddha statue 11102016.jpg
| caption = Standing Buddha in abhay mudra
| location = [[Hussain Sagar]], [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]], [[Telangana]], [[India]]
| coordinates = {{coord|17|24|56|N|78|28|30|E|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = India_Telangana
| map_caption = Location of Buddha Statue in [[Hussain Sagar]]
| height = 58 feet (18 meters)
| sculptor = [[S. M. Ganapathy|S.M.Ganapathi Sthapathi]]
| beginning_label = Dedicated
| beginning_date = 1 December 1992
| designation1_free1name = Material
| designation1_free1value = White Granite Stone
| governing_body = Buddha Purnima Project Authority, [[Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority|HMDA]]
}}
The '''''Buddha Statue of Hyderabad''''' is a [[monolith]] located in [[India]]. It is the world's tallest monolith of [[Gautama Buddha]], erected on Gibraltar Rock in the middle of [[Hussain Sagar]].

==History==
[[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]] is the capital of the state of [[Telangana]] (separated from Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014). Between 1983 and 1989, [[N. T. Rama Rao]] served as the [[List of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh|Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh]]. During his tenure, he spent large sums to erect several statues of people from the region's political and religious history. During his visit to [[New York City|New York]], he saw the [[Statue of Liberty]] and was inspired by the [[Restoration of the Statue of Liberty 1984-1986|efforts to restore it]]. He said "I wanted something like that great place to visit... That would have been my contribution to society."<ref name="history">{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1120243.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924183547/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1120243.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 September 2015 | title=Buddha of the Lake Bottom | work=[[The Washington Post]] | date=9 April 1990 | accessdate=9 September 2012 | author=Coll, Steve}}{{Subscription required| via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref>

Rama Rao chose to depict Gautama Buddha because "he was a humanitarian who told the whole truth to the people. It is our pride."<ref name="history"/> After a long search, he found a solid white granite rock near Raigiri, [[Bhongir]] (Nalgonda district) on a mountainside 46 km outside Hyderabad. In October 1985 NTR inaugurated work on structure. For over a year, hundreds of labourers helped the temple architect and builder [[S. M. Ganapathy|S.M.Ganapathi Sthapati]] create the statue. After five years and the expenditure of [[United States dollar|US$]]3 million,<ref name="history"/> the statue stood at {{convert|58|ft|m}} and weighed 350 tons, making it the world's tallest monolithic statue of the Buddha.<ref name="retrieval">{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8738705.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924201708/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8738705.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 September 2015 | title=Up from the bottom | work=The Boston Globe | date=19 April 1992 | accessdate=9 September 2012 | location=Boston, MA}}{{Subscription required| via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref> A concrete platform measuring {{convert|15|ft|m}}, now referred to as the "Rock of Gibraltar,"<ref name="gibraltar">{{cite news | url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-23/news-interviews/30659786_1_buddha-statue-ram-charan-teja-iconic | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103125928/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-23/news-interviews/30659786_1_buddha-statue-ram-charan-teja-iconic | url-status=dead | archive-date=3 January 2013 | title=Ram Charan Teja shoots at iconic Buddha statue | work=[[The Times of India]] | date=23 January 2012 | agency=Times News Network | accessdate=9 September 2012 | author=Raje, Abhishek | location=Hyderabad}}</ref> was constructed in the middle of [[Hussain Sagar]] to aid in erecting the statue. The roads of the city were also widened for this purpose.<ref name="history"/>

This statue is located at [[Lumbini Park]] in the Hussain Sagar Island can be reached by boat in 15 minutes.<ref>Goldberg, Kory., Décary, Michelle.(2012), "The South: Hydrabad", Along the Path: The Meditator's Companion to the Buddha's Land, Pariyatti Publisher, p.372. {{ISBN|1938754034}}, 9781938754036</ref> The statue is near to Lakdi-Ka-Pul, Khairatabad and Assembly [[Hyderabad metro]] stations.

==The accident==
Then [[government of Andhra Pradesh]] led by N. T. Rama Rao was ousted in 1989. By the next year, the statue was ready for erection. ABC Limited, a local company, was given the responsibility of transferring the statue onto the concrete platform. Using a trailer vehicle, the statue was brought to the shore of Hussain Sagar. On 10 March 1990, company workers shifted the statue on top of a barge. After traveling only {{convert|100|yd|m}}, the statue tipped and fell into the lake.<ref name="history"/><ref name="report">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5mxPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gpADAAAAIBAJ&dq=buddha%20statue%20hyderabad&pg=6894%2C2782063 | title=10 drown as the statue of Buddha takes a dip | work=[[New Straits Times]] | date=11 March 1990 | accessdate=9 September 2012 | location=New Delhi}}</ref> The accident killed 10 people.<ref>{{cite news | title=Buddha Statue Sinks Barge, Drowning 10 | work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] | date=11 March 1990 | agency=[[Associated Press]] | location=New Delhi | pages=13A}}</ref>

After a two-year salvage operation, the statue was pulled out of the lake.<ref name="retrieval"/> On 1 December 1992, the statue was installed on the platform successfully. In 2006, the [[Dalai Lama]] consecrated the statue after performing a ritual.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/03/stories/2006010317670300.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018170440/http://hindu.com/2006/01/03/stories/2006010317670300.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=18 October 2007 | title=Buddha statue consecrated | work=[[The Hindu]] | date=3 January 2006 | accessdate=9 September 2012 | location=Hyderabad}}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Statue of Ahimsa]]''
* [[List of tallest statues]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Hussain sagar lake.JPG|Standing Buddha in abhya mudra
File:Head part of budda.JPG| Closeup view
File:BuddhaStatueHussainSagar 0188.JPG|Sunset on Buddha Statue, Hussain Sagar
File:Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.jpg|Evening View
File:Buddha Statue by kkpbalaji.jpg|Night View on a moon day
File:Another sculpture.JPG|A sculpture on the basement of Buddha statue.
File:Buddha statue no 1.jpg|Buddha statue at Hussain sagar
File:Hyderabad Dec2011 15.JPG
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Shifting Stones, Shaping the Past: Sculpture from the Buddhist Stupas of Andhra Pradesh - Book

{{Statues in India}}
{{Colossal Buddha statues}}

[[Category:1992 establishments in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:1992 sculptures]]
[[Category:Buddha statues in India]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:Colossal Buddha statues]]
[[Category:Colossal statues in India]]
[[Category:Stone Buddha statues]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hyderabad, India]]

Buddha Statue of Hyderabad - Revision history

UpdateBot at 08:35, 17 April 2022