In December 2022, a delegation from Extremadura traveled to Bhutan to meet with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel. In the capital, Thimphu, they discussed an ambitious plan: to build a vast Buddhist center in Cáceres featuring a 47-meter-tall Buddha statue on a 20-meter pedestal. The complex would cover about 110 hectares, with an estimated cost of 40 million euros. The delegation included Cáceres mayor Luis Salaya, head of the Extremadura Assembly Blanca Martín, and Lumbini Garden Foundation president José Manuel Vilanova.
The King of Bhutan showed interest in the project, which promised to attract tens of thousands of tourists and pilgrims to the region. The plan called for funding to come from the foundation and private donors, with the city providing only the land. The site would feature temples, meditation halls, a residence for monks, exhibitions of relics, and even a “Buddhist diplomatic mission” for Asian countries—all surrounded by oriental gardens with local flora.
First steps
The project was first introduced in Cáceres in 2019. Before that, Vilanova had tried to launch it in Madrid, but a change in government ended those plans. In Cáceres, however, officials backed the initiative and even held a presentation at the Fitur tourism fair in 2020. Soon after, delegations visited Nepal and other Asian countries to seek investors and support.
Supporters included entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, Buddhist leaders from Thailand, and representatives from Nepal. In 2021, a delegation from Lumbini—the birthplace of Buddha—visited Cáceres to sign a memorandum of cooperation. During that visit, monks held rituals at the future complex site, planted sacred trees, and lit a fire to purify the area.
Bureaucratic barriers
However, it soon became clear that the chosen plot of land was located within a special environmental protection zone (ZEPA Llanos de Cáceres y Sierra de Fuentes). By law, construction here is only possible after an environmental assessment. In February 2022, the authorities ruled that the project must be moved outside the protected area. The foundation tried to offer an alternative—using a wooden pavilion brought from Milan as a temporary center—but this did not solve the issue.
At the same time, the search for funding continued. Foundation representatives traveled to Burma (Myanmar) to obtain white jadeite for the statue’s cladding, but a meeting with the country’s military authorities sparked controversy in Spain. Authorities in Cáceres and the foundation explained that the meeting was accidental and not planned in advance.
Political changes
In 2023, there was a change of mayor in Cáceres: Rafael Martos of the People’s Party took office. The new city leader declared his support for the project but suggested looking for private land for construction. The new president of Extremadura, María Guardiola, took a similar position.
The foundation began negotiations with landowners in the area of Cerro de los Romanos, near the former mining village of Aldea Moret. However, investors opposed the change of location, and rising land prices along with persistent delays led many of them to drop out of the project.
Financial difficulties
Despite claims of raised funds, the foundation does not disclose financing details. Regional authorities allocated nearly 300,000 euros for events related to the project, and the 2023 budget included an additional 50,000 euros for the foundation. However, this proved insufficient to launch construction.
Currently, the initiative is essentially on hold. Representatives of the foundation acknowledge that the project has faced numerous challenges: international partners, bureaucracy, changes in government, and environmental restrictions. The future of the complex remains uncertain, while residents of Cáceres continue to wait for the promised Buddha statue to appear on the horizon.
