The 157 feet Guru Nangsey Zileon statue is the one of the tallest statue in the world. Seated on a 38 feet lotus located on a hill in Takila overlooking Tangmachu village in Menbi gewog, the construction took more than seven years. It was consecrated on 1st November 2015.
A member from Druk Odiyana Foundation, a non-profit organisation funded the construction of the statue. A member Khenpo Gyeltshen said that the total cost of the statue was Nu 700 million which devotees of the foundation from within and abroad donated.
This Guru statue is a prominent structure that is attracting many tourists, locals and serve as a pilgrimage site in Lhuetshi district. The statue, according to foundation officials, was prophesied by lord Buddha and the great Dzongchen masters to bring peace and harmony in the world. Khenpo Karpo Tenzin of the foundation said the project was motivated by the revelations of two 19th-century Dzongchen masters and Tertons, Jamyang Khentse Wangpo and Jamgon Kongtrul to the first King, Sir Ugyen Wangchuck, when he was the Trongsa Penlop.
“It was revealed that a statue of Guru Nangsey Zilnon would be the most beneficial one for stability, peace, and prosperity in the country and in the world,” he said. “Lam Sonam Zangpo, a renowned Yogi also said that the sovereignty and prosperity of the country would be reinforced by a physical edifice of a Guru Nangsey Zilnon with a minimum height of not les than five storeys either in Bumthang or Kurtey in Lhuentse,” he added