Context:
A lightning strike caused damage to the upper sections of the 80-foot-tall Bamiyan-style Buddha statue located on the Thai temple campus in Sarnath.
More On News:

- It caused damage to the upper sections of the Buddha statue located on the Thai temple campus in Sarnath.
- Certain sections near the top of an 80-foot-tall Bamiyan-style Buddha statue, erected on the grounds of a Thai temple in Sarnath as a tribute to the statue destroyed by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001.
- The Thai Buddhist temple in Sarnath, established in 1933, features a Buddha statue sculpted in the style of the two monumental Bamiyan Buddhas carved into the cliffs of Afghanistan in the 1st century.
- This replica of the Bamiyan Buddha was constructed at the temple between 2001 and 2011.
About Thai Temple
- The Hinayana Buddha Temple was built in 1933 by Thai dignitaries. Designed in traditional Thai architectural style, it is beautifully set amidst lush green gardens.
- The main temple stands a statue of a Laughing Buddha, while to the right, there is a depiction of the Buddha delivering a sermon to his disciples.
- Beneath a tree, three other Buddha statues are placed in different mudras, surrounded by vibrant, blooming flowers.
- Referred to as Wat Thai Temple by the Thais, the temple complex often sees devotees in orange robes moving about reverently.
- On the left side of the temple stands an enormous Buddha statue, rising over 80 meters tall. .
