Jade Buddha for Universal Peace arrives in Vietnam

      The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, the world’s largest jade idol which is on a world tour, is on display at the Avalokitesvara Temple in the central coastal city of Da Nang from March 13 to 15.
The Buddha, including the lotus and throne, is nearly 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) tall. It has been carved from an 18-ton jade boulder worth US$1 million, which was found in Canada in 2000.
The statue was sculpted by 27 Thai and Australian artists at a cost of US$1.2 million.
The idol will visit four other temples in the country -- Dai Tung Lam Temple in the southeastern coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau (March 21-26); Pho Quang Temple in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District (March 29 – April 5) and Hoang Phap Temple in Hoc Mon District (April 9-24); and Van An Temple in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap (May 1-10).
It will go on to the U.S, Indonesia, Myanmar, New Zealand, and Taiwan before moving to its final home at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, in 2010.