Todai-ji Temple

Do you find eastern architecture and their history intriguing? If your answer is yes, you should visit the Todai-ji Temple located in Nara, Japan. Nara was a capital of Japan, from 710 to 784 AD. It is located in the Kansai area where historical and religious structures are located. You will see some of Japan’s original architecture in the Kansai area, especially in Kyoto and Nara.

This is actually a Buddhist temple complex that houses several other buildings. But the greatest among all the structures inside the Todai-ji Temple complex is the Great Buddha Hall or Daibtsuden. The name might ring a bell because it is the largest wooden structure in the world. If you go inside the largest wooden building, you will also see Daibutsu, the largest Buddha Vairocana statue in the world.

The great statue is 14.84 meters tall and weighs 500 metric tonnes. And it is made of pure bronze. Other statues can be found inside the Daibutude, and in other parts of the temple such as the Lotus Hall or Hokkedo and Ordination Hall or Kaidan-In.

Because of its historicity, the Todai-ji has been included in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites, which also includes seven other shrines, temples, and structures in Nara, Japan.

When you enter the compound, you will find Sika deer’s roaming freely on the grounds. The place is safe for these animals to do that. Sika deer’s play a role in the Shinto religion.

Todai-ji is serene and peaceful. It is not unusual to see wild animals roaming inside the complex. When you go there, you will marvel at the contrasting features of Japan—a combination of modernism and tradition.