The Spark Post visits Buddha Mountain

The Spark Post visits Buddha Mountain. The mountain received its cliff like face from heavy mining during the Vietnam War to build the nearby U-Tapao Airfield, then an American base. After the war, mining continued on an illegal basis, until 1976, when His Majesty King Bhumibol put a stop to it. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the kings accession to the throne the Department of Geological Resources and the Asian Institute of Technology carved a sitting Buddha onto the cliff face. The carving is 130 meters high and 70 meters wide. The actual carving took only two days to do, but filling in the grooves with gold leaf took many more months. The surrounding area was turned into a park. The total cost of the project, according to the Dept of Geological Resources was in excess of 3 million U.S. dollars.

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• The Spark Post
• Buddha Mountain
• King Bhumibol
• Asian Institute of Technology
• Buddha