Why the
Todai-Ji Temple
is special

This famous religious site in Nara boasts Japan's largest Buddha, which resides in the world's largest wooden building.

Todai-Ji Temple
tips and insights

The statue

The seated Buddha image is 15 meters (49 feet) in height and is chiefly bronze. After several casting failures, the statue was completed in 751. Earthquake damage in later centuries forced more recastings. The last one was around 1700. That's the one we see today.

Cost

The manufacturing cost for the original Great Buddha statue was so high that it nearly bankrupted the realm.

The hall

The wooden Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) was destroyed by fire in the 12th and 16th centuries. The last reconstruction occurred around the turn of the 17th century - and the work has lasted up to the present. Amazingly, although that hall may have been the world's tallest building when it was built, it's just two-thirds the size of the previous version.

Other Todai-Ji Temple highlights

They include Nandaimon Gate (Great South Gate) and the Belfry.

Location in Japan

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