Buildings & Structures

The Tallest Statues in Asia

Asia is home to nearly all of the world's tallest statues — Buddhist, Hindu, and Marian monuments alongside India's record-breaking Statue of Unity — ranked by the height of the figure alone, not including any pedestal or base.

Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in Asia and the world, Gujarat, India

Pictured: the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, India, #1 at 182 m.

Rank Statue Height Country
1Statue of Unity — Kevadia (2018)182 mIndia
2Spring Temple Buddha — Lushan (2008)128 mChina
3Laykyun Sekkya — Monywa (2008)115.8 mMyanmar
4Statue of Belief — Nathdwara (2022)106 mIndia
5Ushiku Daibutsu — Ushiku (1995)100 mJapan
6Guishan Guanyin — Ningxiang (2009)99 mChina
7Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace — Batangas City (2021)98.15 mPhilippines
8Sendai Daikannon — Sendai (1991)92 mJapan
9Great Buddha of Thailand — Ang Thong (2008)92 mThailand
10Grand Buddha at Ling Shan — Wuxi (1997)79 mChina
11Guanyin of Nanshan — Sanya (2005)78 mChina
12Garuda Wisnu Kencana — Bali (2018)75 mIndonesia
13Lady Buddha — Da Nang (2010)67 mVietnam
14Statue of Equality — Hyderabad (2022)66 mIndia
15Buddha Dordenma — Thimphu (2015)54 mBhutan

The Top 10

#1

Statue of Unity — 182 m

Rising from an island in Gujarat's Narmada River, this figure of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. It took roughly 33 months to build and opened in October 2018, instantly becoming the tallest statue anywhere in Asia — and the world.[1]

#2

Spring Temple Buddha — 128 m

Rising above Foquan Temple in Henan province, this bronze Vairocana Buddha took over a decade to complete, finishing in 2008. For a full decade it was the tallest statue in Asia and the world, until the Statue of Unity surpassed it in 2018.[2]

#3

Laykyun Sekkya — 115.8 m

This standing Buddha near Monywa, Myanmar anchors the Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung complex, which also contains one of the world's largest reclining Buddha statues just in front of it. Visitors can climb through its hollow interior, passing floor after floor of painted scenes from Buddhist scripture.[3]

#4

Statue of Belief — 106 m

Nathdwara's Vishwas Swaroopam, the world's tallest statue of Shiva, opened in Rajasthan in October 2022. It stands on a roughly 34-meter pedestal that houses a museum, and the whole complex is lit up after dark, visible for kilometers across the surrounding plains.[4]

#5

Ushiku Daibutsu — 100 m

Completed in 1995 in Ibaraki Prefecture, this bronze Amitabha Buddha depicts the founder-associated site of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism's Shinran. Its base includes a small park with thousands of peacocks and a garden of some 20,000 rose bushes surrounding the statue's feet.[5]

#6

Guishan Guanyin — 99 m

A gilded, multi-armed depiction of the bodhisattva Guanyin rising above Miyin Temple in Hunan province. Funded jointly by local government and religious groups, it was completed in 2009 and ranks as the fourth-tallest statue in China.[6]

#7

Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace — 98.15 m

The centerpiece of the Montemaria pilgrimage and conference center in Batangas City, dedicated in 2021 as a symbol of peace across Asia. It's the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary anywhere on Earth.[6]

#8

Sendai Daikannon — 92 m

Officially the Sendai Tendō Byakue Daikannon, this white-robed goddess statue was the tallest in the world when it opened in 1991, before being overtaken just two years later. An internal elevator carries visitors up through floors of statuary to windows near its shoulders.[6]

#9

Great Buddha of Thailand — 92 m

Rising above the rice fields of Ang Thong province at Wat Muang temple, this gold-painted concrete Buddha took 18 years to complete, finishing in 2008. It's Thailand's tallest statue and the second-tallest in Southeast Asia.[6]

#10

Grand Buddha at Ling Shan — 79 m

An outdoor bronze Amitabha Buddha on the shore of Lake Tai near Wuxi, Jiangsu, completed in 1996 and weighing more than 700 metric tons. It anchors the sprawling Lingshan Scenic Area, one of China's major Buddhist pilgrimage sites.[6]

Statues Records Asia

Sources

  1. Gujarat Tourism and general news reporting on the Statue of Unity's dimensions, construction timeline, and 2018 opening.
  2. Reporting on the Spring Temple Buddha's construction timeline and its 128-meter figure height (excluding its lotus throne and hill base).
  3. Travel and heritage reporting on the Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung complex and the Laykyun Sekkya Buddha near Monywa, Myanmar.
  4. News coverage of the Statue of Belief (Vishwas Swaroopam)'s October 2022 unveiling in Nathdwara, Rajasthan.
  5. Japan National Tourism Organization and visitor guides on the Ushiku Daibutsu's construction, height, and grounds.
  6. Statue height figures for the remaining entries cross-referenced across multiple statue-ranking compilations and each site's own visitor/tourism information, using the figure's own height and excluding any separate pedestal, plinth, or base building.