VietNamNet Bridge – A
bronze-made statue of the Mitreya Buddha of 10m high and 80 tons in weight has
been recognized as the biggest statue of its kind in Vietnam
by the Vietnam Record Book
Center (Vietkings).

This is one of the five new records that
the Bai Dinh pagoda in the northern province
of Ninh Binh will be recognized at the 7^th Vietnam’s Buddhist Record Meeting.

The four other national records of Bai Dinh
pagoda include: The heaviest set of bronze made statues of bat bo Kim CKuong
(eight deities) (each statue is 4 tons, 3.95m), the biggest statues of the Good
and the Evil Deities (each statue is 20 tons, 5.2m), the largest statues of A
Nan and Ca Diep Buddha (30 tons in weight, 9m in height each) and the largest
Goddess of Mercy statue.

Bai Dinh Pagoda is a complex of Buddhist
temples in Bai Dinh
Mountain in Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh
Province. This complex
consists of one old temple area and a new temple area which is being
constructed. At completion this will be considered the largest complex of
Buddhist temples in Vietnam
and Southeast Asia. The pagoda is also the
home to many of Vietnam’s
records.

This year, Bai Dinh pagoda festival will
open on February 8. The second phase of construction will be completed this
year. In 2011, the pagoda will welcome over 100 foreign Buddhist delegations,
host the 1^st Buddhish Art Exhibition, host the 30^th
anniversary of the Vietnam Buddhist Shangha and welcome the largest jade Buddha
statue from Myanmar.

Vietnam’s records at Bai Dinh pagoda

It is the pagoda with the highest number of
fig trees in Vietnam.

On the occasion of the UN Vesak in Vietnam
in May 2008,

the pagoda planted 100 fig trees, which were grafted from the

legendary fig tree in India.
At present, the pagoda has thousands of fig trees.

The largest Mitreya Buddha statue.

The largest A Nan – Ca Diep Buddha statues
(30 tons, 9m each).

The largest bronze bell – 30 tons.

The largest well with a diameter of 35m.

The pagoda has the longest corridor of
Arhat statues, with up to 500 Arhat statues made of stone.

The tallest and heaviest statues of the
Good and the Evil deities – 20 tons, 5.2m each.

The Good deity.

The largest bronze-made Sakkamuni Buddha
statue, 150 tons.

The largest Goddess of Mercy statue which
was made by bronze inlaid with gold. It is 80 tons, 9.57m.

The largest set of three Buddha statues (Kāśyapa,
Sākyamuni and Maitreya), each statue is 50 tons.

PV