Giant Buddha Statue (NJ Buddhist Vihara)

Franklin Township, New Jersey, United States

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

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A Buddha statue of about 30 feet (nine metres, per VOA) stands in the woods behind the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center on Route 27 in Franklin Township, near Princeton. In December 2024 the Associated Press described the centre as welcoming of all Buddhist traditions and other faiths.

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Giant Buddha Statue (NJ Buddhist Vihara)

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Site-level location · 40.4000° N, 74.5891° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Beside a busy state highway in central New Jersey, a Buddha statue of about 30 feet rises from the trees behind a monastery. The Associated Press described it in December 2024 as one of the largest statues of the Buddha in the United States.

It stands at the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center on Route 27 in Franklin Township, near Princeton. The AP gives the height as 30 feet; Voice of America, reporting the same story, gives nine metres. According to VOA the statue has stood there since 2009, built under the leadership of the Venerable Hungampola Sirirathana Nayaka Thera, a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka. The AP, writing in 2024, said it was built a decade ago, and described it as white brick and mortar seated on a pink concrete lotus flower.

The centre follows Theravada, the form of Buddhism predominant in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand, and the AP described it as welcoming of all Buddhist traditions and other faiths. Tibetan prayer flags hang in the trees, a peace mural painted by local students shows symbols of world religions, and the AP reports a statue of Kuan Yin, which it calls the Buddhist goddess of compassion, on the grounds.

VOA reported a regular visitor saying that the centre is open to the public, and the AP quoted him saying traffic, aircraft and construction can be heard from the statue even though signs ask visitors to observe noble silence.

This is a working monastery, so visit quietly and respectfully, and check with the centre about visiting times before you travel.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

A statue of about 30 feet in the grounds of a working Theravada monastery, with benches in front, a peace mural and prayer flags. VOA (December 2024) reported a visitor saying the centre is open to the public; the AP quoted him describing traffic noise. Check visiting times and observe the signs asking for silence.

ACCESS

New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center, Route 27, Franklin Township, near Princeton. A working monastery and place of worship; VOA reported in December 2024 that a visitor said the centre is open to the public.

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