Daibutsu of Kamakura

Daibutsu in Japanese means Great Buddha and most westerns refer to Daibutsu as the Great Buddha of Kamakura. Great Buddha of Kamakura is located in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. It is made of bronze and it is located in the Kotokuin temple, one of the most famous Buddhist temples of the Pure Land Sect in Japan. The Daibutsu monument is said to be the second largest monumental Buddha in Japan.

The statue of Kamakura was founded in the year 1252, but the buildings were wiped out by the tsunami tidal wave in the 15th century and now, the statue lies in the open with no roof. The buddha of Kamakura is of 13.5 meters (43.8 ft) tall, weighing about 93.1 tons, which is most impressive to hear. The great Buddha is seated in lotus position with hands forming a gesture of meditation called “DHYANI MUDRA”. The Daibutsu has a spectacular sight with a backdrop of wooden hills.

The statue of Kamakura is a 5 minute walk from the Enoden railway station which is the third station from the Kamakura main station. The temple is open from morning, 7 am to evening 6 pm and the admission fee for adults is 200 Yen and 150 Yen for children. There is also an opening to get inside the Great Buddha statue which has extra admission fee of 20 Yen. There are no closing days within the year, so the temple is always filled with visitors. The experience of seeing the Great Buddha of Kamakura cannot be described until we see it with our own eyes.