Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Modern · Buddhist · Bhutan

Buddha Dordenma

Thimphu, Thimphu · 27.4435°, 89.6454°

Shakyamuni BuddhaModern
Sacred since
2006 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
2006-2015
Modern

History & significance

A 54-metre bronze Shakyamuni Buddha seated on a hill above Thimphu, cast by the Aerosun Corporation of Nanjing and completed on 25 September 2015 to mark the sixtieth anniversary of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Its base houses some 100,000 smaller bronze Buddha images.

Sthala katha — the legend

The statue is held to fulfil a prophecy attributed to the 20th-century yogi Sonam Zangpo, and an older terma of Guru Rinpoche, that a great image would be raised in Bhutan to bestow blessings, peace and happiness.

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Related sites

Murudeshwara Temple
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modern complex (statue 2006)
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Hemkund (4,632 m) · India
20th c. (star-shaped gurdwara)
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir
Ayodhya · India
consecrated 22 Jan 2024
Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi
Mathura · India
modern complex over ancient site
Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi
New Delhi · India
opened November 2005
Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
near Dwarka · India
rebuilt modern era; 25 m Shiva statue

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Modern