KANCHANABURI, 9 July 2014 – The construction of Phra Buddhametta Prachathaitrailokanart Khantararaj Anusorn, which is a project under the royal patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, is nearing its completion after the head of the Buddha statue was installed in a ceremony presided over by Mr. Palakorn Suwannarat, a Privy Councilor, yesterday.
The ceremony saw Somdet Phra Buddhachinnawong, the Chief Superintendent of the Central Dhammayuttika Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, inviting a Buddha relic to the topknot of the Buddha’s head for permanent enshrinement. The relic was donated to the project by the late Supreme Patriarch, Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara. Venerable Somdet Phra Buddhachinnawong then anointed the forehead and the thumbs of the Buddha statue, after which the Privy Councilor presided over the ceremony of raising the head and thumbs of the statue to their places.
The ceremony was attended by Thanphuying Charungjit Teekara, representative of HM the Queen, the Governor of Kanchanaburi, provincial officials and many other people.
The 32-meter-high bronze statue is located at Thipsukhontharam Monastery, in Huai Krajao District, Kanchanaburi Province. The statue is designed after the Bamiyan Buddha Statues in Afghanistan and is scheduled for completion in December 2014. Standing on an 8-meter-high base, the statue will be the tallest bronze statue in Thailand when completed.
