<p>I catch a glimpse of him from a fair distance away. It’s a hazy day and on high in the cable car coming up from the Ngong Ping 360 cable car station, the first sighting of the seated figure, majestic in its stillness, is not the clearest one. </p>.<p>The 25-minute cable car ride is an enjoyable one, affording views of the lush forest cover, divided neatly into 2 by the trekking trail. Lantau Island is chock-a-block with people who are here to pay their respects to the Enlightened One atop a hill. <br /><br />I straight away head to the hill, atop which the Sakyamuni sits. He sits on a lotus on top of a 3-tiered platform and looks north, facing China; this is apparently unusual, given that Buddha statues usually face south. This, then is the Tian Tan Buddha, its base modelled after the earthly mount of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. To get a closer look at his supremely serene face, I climb up 268 steps, and notice an angelic little girl, zipping up the steps with an enviable speed, humming a song. Some distance behind, an old man climbs with palpable effort, stopping every few steps to raise his hands to the statue in prayer. <br /><br />Constructed 22 years ago, the statue is 112-ft tall and weighs over 250 metric tonnes. He has one of the most tranquil expressions to ever grace a Buddha statue anywhere. To one side are the statues of 6 devas, who pay obeisance with offerings of flowers, incense, ointment, lamp, fruit and music to the Buddha. These devas symbolise the 6 perfections: generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation and wisdom. Inside is a relic of the Sakyamuni, allegedly some of his cremated remains. <br /><br />Back at the base of the hill, a short walk away lies the Wisdom Path, with its 38 wooden steles, which are adorned with verses from the Chinese version of the Heart Sutra. Next I headed to the Po Lin monastery, which houses 3 bronze statues of the Buddha, representing his past, present and future lives.<br /><br />Lantau Island holds other attractions like the South Country Park, the largest country park of Hong Kong, the Tai O fishing town, with its stilt dwellings, the Trappist Haven Monastery and a pink dolphin sighting site as well. However, the main attraction continues to be the Tian Tan Buddha. </p>
<p>I catch a glimpse of him from a fair distance away. It’s a hazy day and on high in the cable car coming up from the Ngong Ping 360 cable car station, the first sighting of the seated figure, majestic in its stillness, is not the clearest one. </p>.<p>The 25-minute cable car ride is an enjoyable one, affording views of the lush forest cover, divided neatly into 2 by the trekking trail. Lantau Island is chock-a-block with people who are here to pay their respects to the Enlightened One atop a hill. <br /><br />I straight away head to the hill, atop which the Sakyamuni sits. He sits on a lotus on top of a 3-tiered platform and looks north, facing China; this is apparently unusual, given that Buddha statues usually face south. This, then is the Tian Tan Buddha, its base modelled after the earthly mount of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. To get a closer look at his supremely serene face, I climb up 268 steps, and notice an angelic little girl, zipping up the steps with an enviable speed, humming a song. Some distance behind, an old man climbs with palpable effort, stopping every few steps to raise his hands to the statue in prayer. <br /><br />Constructed 22 years ago, the statue is 112-ft tall and weighs over 250 metric tonnes. He has one of the most tranquil expressions to ever grace a Buddha statue anywhere. To one side are the statues of 6 devas, who pay obeisance with offerings of flowers, incense, ointment, lamp, fruit and music to the Buddha. These devas symbolise the 6 perfections: generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation and wisdom. Inside is a relic of the Sakyamuni, allegedly some of his cremated remains. <br /><br />Back at the base of the hill, a short walk away lies the Wisdom Path, with its 38 wooden steles, which are adorned with verses from the Chinese version of the Heart Sutra. Next I headed to the Po Lin monastery, which houses 3 bronze statues of the Buddha, representing his past, present and future lives.<br /><br />Lantau Island holds other attractions like the South Country Park, the largest country park of Hong Kong, the Tai O fishing town, with its stilt dwellings, the Trappist Haven Monastery and a pink dolphin sighting site as well. However, the main attraction continues to be the Tian Tan Buddha. </p>
