Sitting atop Nakkerd Hill (also spelt Nagakerd) near Chalong, construction began in 2004.

The statue was declared the "Buddhist Treasure of Phuket" by Somdet Phra Yanasangwon, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, in 2008.

The statue's official name is Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Eknakakiri (Thai: พระพุทธมิ่งมงคลเอกนาคคีรี), which means "The Cherished Auspicious Lord Buddha atop Nāga Hill".

The name is a blend of native Thai, Sanskrit, and Pali words – the first element Phra Phutta (Sanskrit varabuddha) means "Lord Buddha"; the second element Ming Mongkol means "cherished and auspicious"; the third element Eknakagiri (from Sanskrit/Pali ekanāgagiri) means "atop Nāga Hill".

Media related to Big Buddha (Phuket) at Wikimedia Commons