Free Buddha Pictures: 26 Photos of Buddha Statues in Thailand, Hong Kong and India
26 free pictures of Buddha statues from the BigFoto library, all taken on our own travels: reclining Buddhas in Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai, golden seated and standing Buddhas on temple altars in Thailand and Laos, the great bronze Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island in Hong Kong, painted statues in Malaysia, and the oldest of them all, the Buddhas painted and carved in the caves of Ajanta and Ellora in India. Use them for articles on Buddhism and meditation, travel posts, school projects and calm backgrounds. Please show these images with respect: they are sacred to many people.
How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.
Reclining Buddhas
The reclining Buddha shows the Buddha at the moment he passed into nirvana. The one at Wat Pho in Bangkok is 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf, with mother-of-pearl on the soles of its feet; the one among the ruins of Ayutthaya lies in the open air, wrapped in a saffron robe.
Golden Buddhas in Thai and Lao temples
Golden Buddhas on altars crowded with offerings, flowers and smaller statues, in the temples of Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Vientiane, a mural of monks in saffron robes, a Buddha on a rock by the sea, and the round, smiling Laughing Buddha, a figure from Chinese folk tradition often placed in temples and shops for luck.
Big Buddhas in the open air
The Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island in Hong Kong, a bronze statue 34 metres high finished in 1993, at the top of 268 steps and surrounded by bronze figures making offerings; a large white and gold Buddha in Chiang Mai; Buddha statues among the brick ruins of Ayutthaya; and an old chedi with a Buddha niche hung with garlands.
Painted Buddha statues
Two painted Buddha statues from a temple in Malaysia, one with a raised hand, one standing.
Buddhas in the caves of Ajanta and Ellora
The Buddhist caves of Ajanta in India were cut into a cliff from the 2nd century BC, and most of the paintings on their walls and ceilings date from the 5th century AD; at Ellora, the prayer hall of the Carpenter’s Cave holds a seated Buddha in front of a stupa under a ribbed stone roof. More from the same trip: Ajanta and Ellora in pictures.
More free photos
- Free temple pictures
- Free sculpture pictures
- Free ancient ruins pictures
- Bangkok and Thailand pictures
- Chiang Mai pictures
- Ajanta and Ellora pictures
- Laos pictures
Questions about these Buddha pictures
Can I use these Buddha pictures for free?
Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.
What do the poses of the Buddha statues mean?
A reclining Buddha shows his passing into nirvana, a seated Buddha with crossed legs shows meditation, a raised open palm means “do not fear”, and a hand touching the ground recalls the moment of his enlightenment.
Is the Laughing Buddha the same as the Buddha?
No. The round, smiling Laughing Buddha is Budai, a monk from Chinese folk tradition who stands for happiness and plenty; the Buddha himself, Siddhartha Gautama, is shown calm and slim.
