A spokesperson for the organisation told this writer that work on the project will hopefully start in 2007 when the acquired land is handed over.
Maitreya had originally planned the project at Bodhgaya, but the inordinate delays in decision-making in Bihar compelled it to shift it to Kushinagar. Maitreya and the state government have entered into an agreement to create a Special Development Area extending to 7.5 kilometres around the project where healthcare and educational programmes will be implemented. Land for the project has been donated by the UP government which, at last count, had already acquired 40 per cent and the process is on for acquiring the rest. (Maitreya is already providing free education to 500 students at Bodhgaya)
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All around will be beautiful parks with meditation pavilions, fountains, tranquil pools and a collection of sacred art, plus a hospital of international standards and educational facilities. Under the throne of the statue will be buildings, housing temples, exhibitions halls, a museum, library, audio-visual theatre and hospitality services. The 152 metre (500 feet) high Buddha in the centre of 750 acres of landscaped environs is designed to last at least a 1,000 years. The aim, the sponsors say, is not just to build a unique statue but "to benefit as many people as possible for as long as possible". Its name is derived from Sanskrit, meaning universal love. The Buddha statue project is the brainchild of Maitreya - an international organisation. This may give India a tourist draw card as alluring as the Taj Mahal. Two great projects - the world's tallest Buddha at Kushinagar in UP and the revival of Nalanda University in Bihar - are now on the drawing board and are likely to be taken up in 2007.