The completion of the vast Buddha Memorial Center in late 2011 was a major event in Taiwan’s Buddhist world. Its grounds serve as an educational center as well as a tourist spot. (courtesy of Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center)

On December 25, 2011, Kao­hsiung’s Fo Guang Shan Monastery officially opened its Buddha Memorial Center, which was built to display a tooth of the Buddha. The rare relic, which was transmitted through India and Tibet, is at the center of a park.

To the vast numbers of Buddhists in the nation, it is a special karmic occasion for Taiwan to host the relic, and the solemn and stately area opens a new chapter in the history of Buddhism.

Located in Da­shu District, Kao­hsiung, the memorial center complex took eight years to construct. Its massive scale—eight pagodas in front, a giant Buddha in the back, and replicas of places where the Buddha preached to the north and south—makes its opening a major event in Taiwan’s religious history. The complex covers more than 100 hectares, and the center itself is over 13,000 square meters. The main pavilion is an “inverted bowl” style stupa made of granite and decorated at the base with yellow sandstone. There are 48 underground chambers holding all types of items related to the Buddha, such as sand from the Ganges, stones from the Stupa of the Turning of the Dharma Wheel, and bricks from the Nirvana Stupa.

Behind the main pavilion, there is a large bronze Buddha, smiling as he forms different mudras (hand gestures) with his right and left hand. The dais and the Buddha statue together are 108 meters tall, around the height of a 36-story building, and made from 1,872 tons of bronze and steel. The statue is the landmark of the park, and the world’s largest bronze sitting Buddha.

“Taiwan is so small, but the Buddha is big, and there are believers all over the world. We hope that in the future, the world will better know Taiwan through the Buddha Memorial Center,” says Fo Guang Shan’s founder, Master Hsing Yun.