Bacalhôa Buddha-Eden is the largest oriental park in Portugal and Europe! It also has Europe’s largest and richest Buddhist statue collection! And it is simply magnifesent!
I have never been to India or other countries where Buddhism is widespread, for me it remains a dream. But it is amazing that in my favourite European country I could slightly immerse myself in the atmosphere of calm and feel the peace and the beauty of the Eastern world.
The garden is dog-friendly, it was a big plus for me as I travelled with my loyal friend - a bobtail name Elza.
The park is very large - 35 hectares, and is divided into two large zones - Asia and Africa. Both are very beautiful and interesting.
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.
Some are literally giant! In fact, at the end of the central staircase, there’s a huge Buddha statue of 69 feet (21 meters) tall!
The garden was created in protest against the destruction of the Giant Buddhas
of Bamyan (Afganistan) in 2001. Commander José Berardo, businessman, is the owner of Bacalhôa Wines from Portugal, which includes Bacalhôa Buddha Eden Garden.
The project began in 2001, and currently continues to add more gardens and sculptures.
I enjoyed it very much and was really happy there.
