It’s the biggest oriental garden in Europe where you can find a lot of sculptures and statues of Buddha. This magical place will make you feel like you travelled to another country while experiencing the peace and serenity of the garden.
The oriental garden with around 35 hectares of land was created as a reaction to the destruction of the Buddhas of Banyan, in which one of the greatest acts of cultural barbarity took place, erasing masterpieces of late-period Gandhara art.
From Buddhas, pagodas, terracotta statues and the various carefully-placed sculptures which can be found throughout the gardens, it is estimated that some six thousand tons of marble and granite were used to create this monumental work of art.
The Buddha Eden central staircase is the focal point of the garden, where the golden Buddhas offer you a calm welcome.
At the central lake, KOI (Japanese carp) fish can be seen, and sculpted dragons rise out of the water. There is also the opportunity to see the seven hundred hand-painted terracotta soldiers, each of them unique copies of those which were buried some 2,200 years ago.
The Buddha Eden Garden was conceived by J.M.R Berardo in response to the destruction of the great Bamyan Buddhas. The Buddhas of Bamyan were two monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, northwest of Kabul. Built during the sixth century, the statues represented the classic blended style of Indo-Greek art. They were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, after the Taliban government declared that they were "idols" which are forbidden under Sharia law. So saddened and outraged was Mr Berardo of the callous and deliberate destruction of the cultural heritage of the Afghan people and of the whole of the world that he embarked on the creation of his latest garden project as homage to the Bamyan Buddhas.
Buddhism teaches that every human being has the potential to become happier, kinder and wiser-even infinitely so. The Buddha was a human being who, through his own efforts, realized the Path to Enlightenment. Rooted in awareness that all things are impermanent and constantly subject to change. In the same way this spiritual garden with no religious affiliation opens its gates to all people of all religions and ethnic backgrounds to come together, to communicate and meditate, to rest and rediscover a happier and kinder self on a path to enlightenment and ultimately peace within each other and for humankind.
The African Sculpture Garden is dedicated to the Shona people of Zimbabwe who have been hand-sculpting stone into works of art for nearly a thousand years. The Shona believe in ancestral spirits known as “Vadzimu”.
In their sculptures they demonstrate the unity between these two worlds, the physical and the spiritual. These incredible stone carvers hold firm to the belief that every stone has a life spirit and it is that ‘life spirit’ that influences what sculpture that stone will become. It is the artist’s job to “release the spirit from the stone”. There are over 200 sculptures on display surrounded by the shade of a 1000 palms.
Visiting this amazing garden was a surprise for me, never though this could be this amazing, I congratulate the person that made this happened and also appreciate it very much specially for the animals that they allow to live there without invading their space.
Every walk was a new lovely experience...excitement levels were running high!
All smiles and good vibes...
It’s quite the place to explore on a sunny day, though you’ll want to keep an eye out for shady spots to rest in, because you walk quite a bit!
This is also a great place for photographers, it's colorful and full of spots to take your perfect shot like I did and took the chance to also take some pics "ootd" style.
This season finally I was treated with my own Cherry Blossom festival
Sponsored by Quinta da Bacalhoa famous winemakers is it also possible in the site to try the famous wines produced by the company.
This season finally I was treated with my own Cherry Blossom festival
Petals fall from trees fit to bust in blizzards, showering passers by in confetti.
Exceptionally well balanced and relaxing was this day.
I was truly enchanted with the peace and tranquility of this unique and special place named The Buddha Eden.
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