While fixing up the itinerary for our HK trip, places such as Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park, and Victoria Peak were already a given. But this is me we’re talking about, and I’m a sucker for things slightly traditional and historical, with a touch of the religious and some mythology thrown in, so Ngong Ping just had to be included, if only to check out the Big Buddha, or more formally known as the Tian Tian Buddha.
In the previous post, I talked about the travel to get to Ngong Ping – an experience all by itself, which is why it deserved its own post. Now I take you further in Ngong Ping, and up to the Big Buddha.
The bronze Big Buddha is considered to be the largest seated Buddha statue in the world, and is said to represent the “harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion”. The statue sits on a throne that is the shape of a lotus flower, set atop a three-platform altar resembling the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan, which is the Temple of Heaven located in Beijing, China. I guess that is why this statue is also called the Tian Tian Buddha.
Before getting there from Bodhi Square, however, you have to pass through another square.
Past this arch is another piazza lined with the statues of 12 generals, 6 on each side. They are the Twelve Divine Generals that represent the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac.
General Makura, represents 5am-7am of the day, the rabbit of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with an ax.
General Kimnara, represents 3am-5am of the day, the tiger of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a rope.
General Pajra, represents 7am-9am of the day, the dragon of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a bow and arrow.
General Catura, represents 1am-3am of the day, the ox of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a sword.
General Indra, represents 9am-11am of the day, the snake of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a staff.
General Vikarala, represents 11pm-1am of the day, the rat of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a vajra.
General Kumbhira, represents 9pm-11pm of the day, the boar of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a broadsword.
General Sandira, represents 11am-1pm of the day, the horse of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a conch shell.
General Vajra, represents 7pm-9pm of the day, the dog of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a sword.
General Anila, represents 1pm-3pm of the day, the sheep of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with an arrow.
General Andira, represents 3pm-5pm of the day, the monkey of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a mallet.
General Mihira, represents 5pm-7pm of the day, the rooster of the Chinese zodiac and is armed with a vajra.
And here are some of them.
So this here is General Vajra, for the year of the Dog which, I think is when my aunt was born. I can’t be sure, though.
And General Sandira with the (dreaded) conch shell.
And General Indra, for the year of the Snake.
General Vikarala, wielding a vajra.
And General Pajra, with the bow and arrow.
I was born in the year of the Rooster, so I suppose it’s General Mihira for me. 🙂 He looks pretty badass, no? Although I have no idea what a vajra is supposed to be. But perhaps it is better than a conch shell…? Haha!
Both General Mihira and General Vikarala wield the vajra which, according to an internet search, means both “thunderbolt” and “diamond” in Sanskrit, and a weapon that has the best traits of both: indestructible diamond and the irresistible force of a thunderbolt.
Ok, then, DEFINITELY better than a conch shell. 🙂
Now you have to walk straight to the middle of the Po Lin Monastery Plaza to get to the Big Buddha.
The Big Buddha can be reached by going up a flight of 268 steps. The boondocks girl in me was already squeeing with exhilaration at the prospect of going up, up, and up!
Finally, we got to the top, up close and personal (or as close as everyone visiting is allowed to be) to the Big Buddha itself.
It. Is. Huge. The complex has an area of 6,547 square meters, and the statue is 34 meters tall. Apparently, it weighs more than 250 tonnes.
You can walk around to see it from all sides. There are also 6 smaller statues of divinities surrounding it, and they represent the 6 guardians of the Buddha.
Wind was whipping mercilessly at us by this time. It was hella cold, and the elevation wasn’t helping any, but the views of the mountains of Lantau Island, and the glimpse of the South China Sea was worth the biting chill and hair-whipping-in-our-face moments.
The pedestal where the Big Buddha sits on top of is an exhibition hall, holding relics and other things. Unfortunately, it was closed when we were there. So we made do with just snapping photos outside.
Walking around the complex, looking up at this giant statue, I felt thoroughly humbled. Not just by this great feat of human engineering, but for the history, meaning, and essence behind it. Truly, there are a lot of things that are bigger than any of us.
After a few more minutes walking around, we decided to head back down so we can proceed to the next item on the itinerary.
This definitely ranks as my favorite part of the whole HK trip, and I’m glad I put it first in our itinerary. It pretty much set the tone for the whole trip.
We then headed to the bus stop, caught the 4:05 bus for a 40-50 minute bus ride through the meandering roads, until we got to the Mui Wo Ferry Pier. From there, we took the ferry that will take us to Central, so we can get to our final stop for the day: Victoria Peak. See ya next post for that!