Symbolic roof ornaments adorn new Buddha Hall at Sravasti Abbey

Symbolic roof ornaments adorn new Buddha Hall at Sravasti Abbey

News Brief by FāVS News Staff

Roof ornaments for the new Buddha Hall at Sravasti Abbey in Newport were installed earlier this month.

The hall is being built as part of the abbey’s 20th anniversary and roof ornaments included ganjiras, Dharma wheel and a deer.

All photos by Gen Heywood (FāVS News)

According to a previous FāVS article, the new Buddha Hall, which the monastics hope will finish this summer, will be a two-story, 17,000 square foot building. It will consist of a main hall, a Tara room, a Posadha room, a library, multiple gathering rooms and offices.

The three ganjira statues, the Dharma wheel and two deer statues rest over the door. The roof ornaments allow the Buddha Hall to have ties to traditional Tibetan monasteries, according to the monastics.

The main hall will house three sculptures that were hand crafted in France by sculptors Peter and Denise Griffin.

According to the abbey there will be a 10-foot seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in the center of the altar. Two smaller statues of Venerable Ananda and Venerable Mahaprajapati, both of whom had close relationships with the Buddha during his lifetime, will be placed on either side.