Indonesia’s tallest pagoda, the Sata-Sahasra Buddha Pagoda, in Tanjung Pinang City, in Riau was inaugurated on Saturday by an official from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, according to Antara News.
The pagoda, which is managed by the Maitri Paramita Foundation is located inside the Avalokitesvara Vihara complex and measures 52-meters in length, 32-meters in width, and 46.8-meters in height. The pagoda has nine floors and its walls are covered with 20,708-ceramic tiles with Buddha statue motifs ordered from China.
Supriyadi, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, director general of Budhhist community guidance said at the inauguration, “we really appreciate it. After around seven years, finally, this beautiful and magnificent pagoda can be realized,” adding that he hoped the pagoda, which stands on an area of more than 10-hectares, will become a center for Buddhists’ religious activities and support the building of inter-religious harmony.
According to the foundation’s owner, Hengky Suryawan, the construction of the pagoda has taken seven years to complete and was built at a cost of around IDR 100-billion (around USD 6.59-million,) say Antara News.
He said that the pagoda has set the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) record for the tallest pagoda in Indonesia and for the most number of Buddha statue-motif ceramic tiles.
According to him, the Sata-Sahasra Buddha Pagoda can accommodate around two thousand Buddhists during prayer activities.
Antara News report that local and international tourists can also visit the pagoda. Moreover, the Avalokitesvara Vihara, where the pagoda is located, is already a tourist attraction for the local residents of Bintan Island.
“In the Avalokitesvara Vihara, there is a statue of Guanyin Goddess with a height of 22.8-meters and is titled the highest in Southeast Asia,” he said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of buses bringing tourists could reach up to eight per day, he added.
Source: Antara News
Stock image by Emily KenCairn of Apiary Studio on Unsplash
