Gatbawi Buddha

Daegu, Korea

The Gatbawi (Stone Hat) Buddha was completed by monk Uihyeon in 638 AD (Unified Silla) for the repose of his mother's soul. It is a wish-fulfilling "medicine Buddha." 4m (13ft) high, the statue perches atop Palgongsan Mountain and wears an honorific canopy hat. Flat canopy hats often crown the emperors and sages of early China, Korea, and Japan, but are seldom seen on statues of the Buddha.