Maitreya Project

The Maitreya Project is an international organisation, operating since 1990, set up to construct a 152 metre statue of the Maitreya Buddha, in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, along with education and healthcare facilities for the local population. The initial design brief for the statue included a specification for the statue to last for 1,000 years; however this is no longer an aim of the project. The project scope has since changed, and the Maitreya Project will now construct smaller statue in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, as well as a 45 metre statue of the Maitreya Buddha, in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India. The project was initiated by the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, an organisation within the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Maitreya Project and the UP State Government have worked together to create a comprehensive plan for development of the area surrounding the Project, which is administered by the Kushinagar Special Area Development Authority.