Tōdai-ji

“Within a vast wooden hall, a bronze Buddha seated in stillness”

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Photo: Wiiii · CC BY-SA 3.0

Scenes

The great bronze Buddha seated within the hallBalon Greyjoy · CC0

Deer wandering beneath the great wooden gateZairon · CC BY 4.0

Meaning

Past deer wandering the pilgrim path you step through the great wooden gate, and in the dim hall the bronze Buddha quietly looks down on you.

Regarded as one of the great temples of Japanese Buddhism, its Great Buddha Hall — said to be among the largest wooden buildings in the world — houses the bronze Daibutsu. It is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site among the monuments of ancient Nara.

Field notes

Location: Nara · Japan · N34.7° · E135.8°
Best time: Early morning, just after the Great Buddha Hall opens; deer along the approach
Getting there: From Nara Station, by bus or on foot through Nara Park.
Etiquette: Within the halls, quiet and reverence, following the visitor path.

Sources

· UNESCO World Heritage
· Encyclopaedia Britannica

Official site Wikipedia

Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.