Officials who were widely criticised after unveiling what was described as the most badly built Buddha statue in the world have appealed for donations in order to put things right.
The Chief Inspector of the Veal Pagoda Commission in Phsar Leu Village, which is in Sangkat Lolok Sor in Pursat City in Cambodia has appealed for USD 12,500 (GBP 9,827) to cover the reconstruction of the face that was compared to a child’s clay model reproduced as a 29-metre-high colossus.
The officials who commissioned the statue later admitted that the craftsman who had been asked to do the job were clearly not qualified to do it properly after widespread criticism that was repeated around the world about the amateur standard.
It had been commissioned by the Chief Inspector of Wat Veal in 2009 and was sponsored by a group of Cambodian philanthropists who are also supporters of Buddhism who agree to pay for it.
Pursat Provincial Administration echoed the viewpoint of Veal pagoda’s chief monk, Chum Saroeun in voicing the opinion that the statue was crafted by a less skilled artisan but its frontal view is more accurate than its side view.
Buddhism originated in ancient India and spread throughout Asia and one of the central figures of this religion is Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly referred to as the Buddha.
Statues of the Buddha are often built as a way to honour and pay respect to this important religious figure.
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Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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