Gaya: A 108-ft-tall statue of the Buddha will come up at Hisua in Nawada district, around 40km east of Gaya and 30km west of Rajgir.

Once built, it could edge out the 104ft Buddha statue in Nubra Valley in Ladakh and the 103ft Buddha statue at a monastery in Clement Town, Dehradun (Uttarakhand), among the tallest in India, as also the 80ft statue in Bodhgaya.

Deepak Gaud, an artist from Gaya, is working on the project sponsored by Wat Thai Nalanda Foundation (WTNF).

"My ancestors came to Gaya from Alwar district in Rajasthan years ago," Gaud said. "They were involved in the construction of the world-famous Vishnupad temple structure in Gaya town. My father Ramchandra Gaud is also an artist. His woodcraft art pieces on the Chhath festival have found a place in Patna museum's woodcraft gallery. Earlier too, I have worked on Buddha statue projects at Bodhgaya and Delhi. I started work on the Hisua project in January 2013. It is likely to be completed by October 2018."

The budget for just the stone slabs is around Rs 5 crore. Around 5,599 sandstone slabs will be used in the statue. Funds are coming from Thailand or in the form of donation from devotees and tourists. A large number of devotees and tourists visiting Rajgir from Bodhgaya stop at the project site and voluntarily offer donations.

WTNF director Achan Than is the brain behind the Hisua statue. Before work began on the project, Than got toilets built at the site and also arranged for refreshments like tea and coffee for visitors. "Once the project is completed, visitors to Rajgir or Bodhgaya can halt at the place to relax," Deepak said.

According to Deepak, the statue of Buddha will be in a sitting posture. It is being made from red sandstone and stone from Chunar in a 10-acre area near the Hisua railway crossing on Gaya-Nawada road.

The 80ft statue at Bodhgaya was made from pink sandstone and stone from Chunar. Japan-based spiritual organisation Daijokyo established it in Bodhgaya.