The Great Buddha statue is one of the popular stops on the Buddhist pilgrimage and tourist routes in Bodh Gaya, Bihar (India). The statue is 19.5 m (64 ft) high representing the Buddha seated in a meditation pose, or dhyana mudra, on a lotus in the open air. The total height of the construction is 80 feet (24 m) of which the Buddha makes up 64 feet (20 m), the lotus on which the Buddha sits 6 feet (1.8 m) and the lower pedestal 10 feet (3.0 m). The construction's width is nearly 60 feet (18 m) at its maximum. The statue was designed by V. Ganapati Sthapati and took seven years to complete using the labor of 12,000 stonemasons. It is constructed from a combination of sandstone and red granite blocks. A hollow spiral staircase inside the statue leads from the ground up to the chest. Shelves