Top 20 Tallest Statues in the World
It’s safe to say we’re all pretty familiar with seeing the occasional tall cathedral, skyscrapers, or even that sculpture of a random animal you see when you’re driving through a small town, but have you ever seen a statue that was over 300 feet tall? Can you even comprehend how tall that really is?! This list is going to break down all of that for you.
As for measuring these magnificently humongous works of stone-cold art in this article, the impressive heights you’ll be reading do not include the base or pedestal that the statue rests upon. That’s right, not only are all these statues crazy tall, but you can imagine them even a smidge taller then listed! Can’t even imagine it?
Check out this tool and pop in any measurement you’d like to see what it would look like for yourself. And even compare that object to others to see the height difference, it’s nuts!
Alright, let’s get down to measuring business and see these awe inspiring top 20 statues in the world.
20. Confucius of Mount Ni 236’ (72 m)
Can you imagine the honor of having an extremely tall statue of you built? We’d probably hope it wasn’t inspired from a bad hair day picture! The Confucius of Mount Ni is a stunning statue and built in honor of Confucius a Chinese Philosopher.
Confucius isn’t just a philosopher though, he was also quite interested in social philosophy, ethics, music, political philosophy, education, music, and kindness. His words and practices (ex: the Golden Rule, treat others how you’d like to be treated), hold so much positive impact to this day.
Here is a renowned quote from Confucius himself that you can be embraced by today, “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals; adjust the action steps.”
19. Kaga Kannon 240’ (73 m)
Next we have our first Goddess to appear on the list, and that is Goddess Kannon who is celebrated as the Goddess of compassion and mercy in Japan.
This beautiful statue glows radiantly by a hill that is close to a temple devoted to Goddess Kannon, and it is also near a tranquil hot springs hotel that brings travelers a full experience of peacefulness when they visit Ishikawa.
18. Rúyìlún Guānyīn statue in Tsz Shan Monastery 249’ (76 m)
Located in the Tsz Shan Monastery in Tung Tsz, Hong Kong, 500,000 square feet of serenity, is the peaceful statue of Rúyìlún Guānyīn, one of the six forms of the bodhisattva and commonly referred to as Cintāmaṇicakra.
In the hands of this stunning statue are a Chintamani gem, in Buddhist traditions this gem is known to fulfill wishes, and a vase of water.
17. Bronze statue of Dizang at Mount Jiuhua 249’ (76 m)
The spectacular statue of Dizang, otherwise known as bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, stands in all of it’s bronze splendid gaze in China at a sacred Buddhist Mountain, one of four.
Ksitigarbha is the bodhisattva of the hell realm in Mahayana Buddhism, it is also told that he can go to the total six realms and is able to guide people who are in-between reincarnations.
This statue is surrounded by beautiful nature, enriched with Buddhist culture, and this sacred place has been known for its lovely lotus flowers.
16. Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue 249’ (76 m)
Building a statue is no easy task, can you fathom spending 28 years on the same project? With a budget of $100 million? Whelp, it was all worth it to build the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue located in Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, Indonesia. To give you some perspective, this copper, brass, and steel work of art is larger than the iconic state of Liberty.
The inspiration for this statue stems from a story found in Hinduism, as Vishnu is a key element of the Hindu Trimurti known as the Preserver, and Garuda is a bird-like creature very well known in Hinduism. Within the statue one can see Vishnu riding on Garuda in agreement to find the elixir of life.
15. Statue of Gautama Buddha 256’ (77.9 m)
Although there is not much documentation to be found on the statue of Gautama Buddha, located in Kyaikhto, Mon State, there is a bit of dispute.
This statue, extremely striking in craftsmanship indeed, is deemed to be the tallest sitting Buddha in the world. Alas, it has already been acknowledged that the Great Buddha of Thailand is the tallest sitting Buddha at 302’. In any retrospective, both incredible statues are worthy of awe and admiration!
14. Guanyin of Nanshan 256’ (78 m)
Built in an impressive 6 years, as we learned from other statue stories that it can sometimes take decades to complete such a large project, we have Guanyin of Nanshan. Depicted from the bodhisattva herself Guanyin, who is known for her compassion.
This beautiful statue sits upon a province in China, Hainan, and it is near the Nanshan Temple of Sanya. An added beauty to this artwork is the generous meaning behind it, for the mission is to send both protection and blessings from Guanyin to China and the entire world.
13. Grand Buddha at Ling Shan 259’ (79 m)
Also known as Giant Buddha, the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan is one of the largest representations of Buddha within China and Earth. You can see this glorious bronze portrayal of Amitabha standing Buddha by Wuix, Jiangsu just on the north shore of Lake Tai.
Want to know how much this statue weighs? Over a whopping 700 metric tons, that’s unfathomable!
12. Awaji Kannon 260’ (80 m)
We’ve mentioned the Goddess of compassion a few times in this article, Guanyin, and she is also referred to as Kannon. This particular statue of her, the Awaji Kannon is so called the World Peace Giant Kannon but unfortunately it will not be up for much longer in the Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan.
When the original creator and his wife passed away, the site where the statue was along with the museum, temple, and observation tower it duly served as, became vacant. And also due to incredibly sad events of a fatal accident taking place at the statues site in February of 2020 it has been decided by the Japanese government, whom are now the owners of the property, that the statue will be disassembled by the end of 2022.
11. The Motherland Calls 279’ (85 m)
Heading on over to Volgograd, Russia within the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad monument ensemble for this next statue is the mighty The Motherland Calls. Even just taking a look at pictures of this statue, it is an amazing sight to see.
This statue is in remembrance of the Battle of Stalingrad, and it is the largest statue in Europe, as well as the largest statue of a woman in the world. And what a powerful statue it is!
10. Mother of All Asia- Tower of Peace
>In the Philippines there sits the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in the whole world, Mother of All Asia- Tower of Peace. This statue is also more recently built, as construction began in 2014 and completed in 2021.
During the uncertain times of the pandemic, several stories within the building that makes this statue was used as an isolation facility. Although the project to have this statue constructed filtered through a few different hands, eventually it was beautifully built and now stands proud and tall.
9. Dai Kannon of Kita no Miyako Park 289’ (88 m)
Standing as the 3rd largest statue in all of Japan is the Dai Kannon of Kita no Miyako Park, or also known shorter as the Hokkaido Kannon and Byakue Kannon.
This tranquil statue representing Guanyin, as we recall before she is the bodhisattva of compassion, is actually much more than just a statue. It contains 20 floors with elevator accessibility and some of the floors have graceful places for worship, and views for visitors to see the surrounding areas. That would be a heck of a view!
8. Great Buddha of Thailand 302’ (92 m)
As previously mentioned, the Great Buddha of Thailand, or also called The Big Buddha, is a remarkable 302’ and can be found in the Wat Muang temple in the Ang Thong Province of Thailand.
In 1990 the great journey began to build this now incredible sitting Buddha, but the construction lasted until 2008. Very much worth all of the hard work and years of dedication though! For now it is not only the tallest sitting Buddha statue as we covered earlier, but the Great Buddha is also the tallest statue in Thailand and the second tallest statue in Southeast Asia.
7. Guishan Guanyin 325’ (99 m)
A beautiful, gilded bronze sight to see is the Elven-headed thousand-armed Guanyin, or in more traditional words the Shiyimian Qianshou Guanyin (manifestation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin).
The Guishan Guanyin statue located in Ningxiang, Hunan, China is the 4th tallest statue in China and is a stunning sight to see just from pictures; let alone how breathtaking it would be to see in person!
6. Sendai Daikannon 330’ (100 m)
This extraordinary statue is also a manifestation, of Bodhisattva Kannon, also known as Byakue Kannon. This can translate to white-robed Kannon, which makes the statue all the more stunning with its striking white material.
Located in Sendai, Japan for a small entrance rate you can explore the inside floors of the statue. It is said that each level contains at least 8 Buddhas in place, and there are 108 Buddhas within the Sendai Daikannon.
5. Ushiku Daibutsu 330’ (100 m)
Weighing at 8,825,000 lbs, that’s roughly 678 African bush elephants for a random weight comparison you can try to wrap your mind around, is the Ushiku Daibutsu statue.
This spectacular bronze representation of Amitabha Buddha can be admired in Ushiku, Ibaraki, Japan and there is even a neat observation deck within this amazing statue!
4. Statue of Belief 348’ (106 m)
In Hinduism one of the principal deities, or Gods and Goddesses, is Shiva who is known as The Great God, of death and time. This is who is crafted in the Statue of Belief, located in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, India.
As of 2022 this is the world’s largest statue of Shiva, and it is fairly new to the statue world!
3. Laykyun Sekkya 380’ (115.8 m)
Coming in at number 3 on our list all the way in Monywa, Myanmar is an astounding statue of Gautama Buddha himself (believed to be the founder of Buddhism), the Laykyun Sekkya.
With what looks like golden fabric wrapped around him, standing tall yet peaceful, this exceptional statue is celebrated near and certainly far; with a height like that, it would be hard not to see it from far away!
2. Spring Temple Buddha 420’ (128 m)
Placing 2nd is the copper casted delectable statue by the name of Spring Temple Buddha. The representation built upon a lotas thrown is Vairocana Buddha, whom is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.
Wondering how exactly the planning committee landed on Spring Temple Buddha? It may have to do with the wonderful hot spring that is close to the statue, and it is known for its curing qualities.
1. Statue of Unity 597’ (182 m)
The long wait is over, it is time to reveal the tallest statue in the world which lands us in Gujarat, India, give it up for the Statue of Unity!
You may be wondering who the inspiration for such a ginormous statue is, and that would be Vallabhbhai Patel. Patel lived from 1875 until 1950, and in his lifetime, he was an independence activist in India and was actually the first deputy prime minister and home minister for Independent India. The name of the statue ties into Patel’s legacy because with his hard work he united 561 states in India to bring together a single union.
As of March 2021, the breathtaking state has received 5,000,000 guests, and those numbers keep growing! Within the statue there are levels that are open to the public, these levels contain museum exhibits and a garden dedicated to the life and work of Vallabhbhai Patel.
Wow, you went through some extreme and impressive heights just now! Even with all of those impressive heights, of course we know it means that they’re incredibly tall, but it can be hard to wrap your mind around just plain numbers.
Instead of straining your brain to comprehend the height of The Statue of Unity compared to let’s say the Statue of Liberty, visually see it in front of you instead by plugging in the heights with this tool!
In any case, you learned some fascinating history today, good trivia tidbits, and perhaps you even have some new vacation inspiration.