[3][4] The image is located on a 91-hectare site, which also features stone inscriptions, stupas, religious buildings, and a Mucalinda pond.

[5] Construction of the Buddha began on 14 June 2020,[6] and was announced in state-run newspapers in the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.

[12] On 1 August 2023, the statue was officially consecrated in a buddhābhiṣeka ceremony attended by 900 monks, coinciding with the full moon day of Waso.

[6] In a sermon during the ceremony, the Kyaukme Sayadaw, Candanasāra, distilled the essence of Buddhism into three short phrases using a three-finger gesture, appearing to indirectly criticise the military junta for violating these fundamental precepts.

[6][14][7] Previous military juntas have constructed similar temples, including the marble Kyauktawgyi Buddha in Yangon.