This large statue of a bodhisattva, standing beside the Granite
Standing Buddha of Ayangdong, has been worshipped as Maitreya by
villagers for a long time. It is said to have originally been placed
3 meters ahead of its current location. It was felled by a flood
and damaged at the neck during the period of Japanese occupation.
It then appeared in villagers' dreams, which compelled them to organize
a cooperative group, collect rice and restore it. Legend says that
a bachelor offered prayers to the statue and realized his cherished
wishes; and that a former farm servant buried the coins earned by
trade in front of the stairs and prayed for marriage, which was
at last realized. A floral coronet and flower decorations are engraved
on the head portion. The whole face gives an impression of feminine
tenderness and generosity. The eyes and brows, the ridge of the
nose, and the mouth and lips are arranged normally, and the ears
are narrow and long. On the reinforced neck are seen the indistinct
trace of typical three lines. As for the hand positions, the right
hand is raised onto the chest, and the left hand hangs downward.
The lower part below the waist is buried in the ground. Bead patterns
are found on the chest and flower patterns are seen on the shoulders
and arms. Its archaic and unrefined style displays a folk-like tendency.
Villagers who claim to have seen the whole statue say that the original
height is about 3.8 meters. |