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| Todaijo Temple, Nara |
One of the most important places, and most popular attractions in Nara, is the Todaijo Temple. It was built in 752 as the head temple of all Japanese provincial Buddhist temples, and it was the power that developed here that caused the move of the capital away from Nara.
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| Todaijo Temple, Nara |
The primary draw for visitors is the Daibutsuden, or the Big Buddha Hall. It is ambiguous to me whether the 'big' refers to the size of the Buddha or the size of the Hall, but I suppose that question is irrelevant as both are undoubtedly big.
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| Todaiji Temple, Nara |
The hall is said to be the world's largest wooden building; that is despite this version, that was rebuilt in 1692, being only two thirds the size of the original.
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| Buddha's nostril, Todaiji Temple, Nara |
Just to give us a sense of how big the 15m tall Buddha really is, the hall has a pillar with a hole in the bottom, that is the same size as the Buddha's nostril.
People queue up here to try to wriggle and squeeze their way through this hole. This seems a strange thing to do, but apparently anyone who achieves it can expect to gain enlightenment in their next life.
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| Todaiji Temple, Nara |
In case you are wondering, no, neither Nic nor I will be expecting enlightenment; the Buddha's nose isn't that big!
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| Todaiji Temple, Nara |
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| Todaiji Temple, Nara |
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| Todaiji Temple, Nara |
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