Located on the top of Thien Ma Mountain, Minh Duc Pagoda (Quang Ngai City) is building a 125m high statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin. This is considered the tallest statue of Buddha Guanyin in Southeast Asia to date, expected to become a prominent spiritual destination, attracting tourists from all over.
Thien Ma Mountain is one of three mountains in the famous "Tam Thien" cluster of Quang Ngai, next to Thien An and Thien But mountains.
Minh Duc Pagoda is located near Co Luy Bridge - a bridge on the downstream of Tra Khuc River, about 15km from the center of Quang Ngai city. The pagoda complex is about 90 hectares wide, bringing a peaceful space in the suburbs.
Minh Duc Pagoda started construction in 2018. Not only a place of worship, the pagoda is also an ideal destination for those looking for a peaceful place. The pagoda's architecture is elaborately invested with the main hall being nearly 12,000m² wide, 51m high, and many items such as: Lobby, Dai Hung Bao Dien, Dong Dien, Tay Dien, bell tower, drum tower, Kinh Dong tower, Kinh Tay tower...
The two East and West walls of Dai Hung Bao Dien are carved with 64 reliefs about the life of Buddha, creating a solemn space. The main hall's railing is more than 1,000m long, an ideal place for visitors to stroll and look out to the sea and Ly Son island.
The entire pagoda is part of the Thien Ma Buddhist spiritual cultural area project with many items such as Buddha statues, squares, Buddhist museums, Bach Ma garden, Thap Phap Gioi, Thien Duong, Phuong Y Duong, Noi Vien, Long Hoa Vien...
In particular, the most prominent is the 125m high statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara - considered the tallest in Southeast Asia today, surpassing other large Buddha statues such as the statue of Buddha Tay Bo Da Son on Ba Den mountain (72m) or the statue of Avalokitesvara at Linh An pagoda (71m).
The Avalokitesvara statue has 25 floors inside, with an elevator installed to take visitors to visit the upper floors. From the 11th floor, windows open in four directions, helping visitors to see the whole view of the sea, villages and fields of Quang Ngai. After completion, visitors can stand on the hands of the statue to enjoy the scenery.
The Avalokitesvara statue faces Co Luy bridge. In front of the statue, it is planned to place many other Buddha statues arranged in two rows. Inside the statue, there will be a corridor and an elevator to take visitors to the top, where they can see the whole view of Quang Ngai city.
Minh Duc Pagoda and Thien Ma Cultural Area are expected to become new spiritual highlights of Quang Ngai province, connecting with the scenic cluster of An Mountain - Tra River.