Image revealed: Krakuchchanda Buddha statue to be officially enshrined on Ba Den Mountain on December 29th.

The Enthronement Ceremony of the Statue of Duc Phat Cau Na Ham on the peak of Ba Den Mountain under the auspices of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha is a meaningful spiritual and cultural event eagerly awaited by Buddhists and people in Nam Bo. The event marks an important milestone as Ba Den Mountain peak will be a rare place in Vietnam to have the presence of Duc Phat Cau Na Ham, one of the Buddhas of the past and is a symbol of enlightenment.

A sacred space on the mountaintop, where peace and Buddhist ceremonies converge.

Buddha Kanakamuni (Cau Na Ham) in Sanskrit is Kanakamuni and in Pali is Koṇāgamana, meaning "The one who came from Gold" or "The bringer of Goldenness". According to Buddhist scriptures, Buddha Kanakamuni (Cau Na Ham) was born in the city of Thanh Tinh (Pure City), the capital of King Thanh Tinh (today Nigali Sagar, Nepal). The Buddha renounced the world and practiced asceticism for six months. He attained enlightenment under the Udumbara tree (also called Uu dam). Udumbara is the Sanskrit name for the fig tree, flower, and fruit, and is a mythical flower in Buddhism, said to bloom once every 3,000 years and only appear when a Buddha or a Chakravartin (Wheel-Turning Monarch) is born. Accordingly, Udumbara signifies "a flower bringing auspiciousness from heaven". In folk belief, the fig tree also symbolizes abundance, completeness, prosperity, good fortune, and wealth.

Located in the Uu Dam Garden - a meditation garden at the highest point of the "roof of the South", the statue of Buddha Kanakamuni is crafted in a majestic seated posture under a decades-old fig tree. The statue of Buddha Kanakamuni is 7.2m tall, crafted using high-pressure processing technology with red copper material, finished with 24k gold leaf.

Statue of Buddha Krakucchanda is located in the meditation garden at Uu Dam.

In a lotus position (also known as padmasana) on a lotus pedestal placed in the middle of a golden lotus pond, the statue of Buddha Krakucchanda has a compassionate face, with eyes gently open looking down, expressing tranquility, understanding, and compassion for sentient beings.

From the highest point on the mountaintop, the statue of Buddha Krakucchanda faces East, as if looking towards the future. The right hand of Buddha Krakucchanda is in the Vitarka Mudra, symbolizing the preaching phase in the Buddha's life; the left hand holds a fig fruit – an image associated with the journey of enlightenment under the Uudumbara tree.

The right hand of Buddha Kakusandha in the teaching mudra.

Surrounding the statue of Buddha Kakusandha is the Udumbara Waterfall. The Udumbara Waterfall is circular, with a diameter of 50m and a height of 12m, built from 32 golden pillars symbolizing the 32 auspicious marks of the Buddha.  Inspired by the Buddha's halo shining everywhere, the Udumbara Waterfall shines with golden light,  creating a brilliant highlight against the sky atop the sacred mountain.

The Udumbara Waterfall pours water into a golden lotus pond, creating a sacred and magical space, symbolizing auspiciousness, prosperity, and wealth spreading throughout the world. Located at the center of the Udumbara Waterfall, the statue of Buddha Kakusandha becomes a symbol of enlightenment, a place where people find inner peace, and a spiritual anchor for people to entrust their wishes for an auspicious, prosperous, and wealthy life.

Together with the statue of the Bodhisattva of Tay Bo Da Son – the Buddha representing the present; the statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva – the Buddha representing the future; the statue of Buddha Kakusandha Muni – the Buddha representing the past, creating a thread connecting the past, present, and future right on the sacred mountain peak. Now, Ba Den Mountain has become a destination for Buddhists and tourists to contemplate themselves, discard worries of the past or future, to live fully in the present moment with mindfulness and seek true happiness.