Fat Buddha statue in Bali
"Fat Buddha" is not THE Buddha. When statues and images of the Buddha began to appear nobody knew what he looked like. However they did know that the Buddha was from a noble family and had been described as tall, slender, and of "manly build”. A fat body was associated with prosperity and good fortune so the creation of some ‘fat’ images and statues of him would have been natural.
Fat Buddha statue in Bali
"Fat Buddha" is not THE Buddha. When statues and images of the Buddha began to appear nobody knew what he looked like. However they did know that the Buddha was from a noble family and had been described as tall, slender, and of "manly build”. A fat body was associated with prosperity and good fortune so the creation of some ‘fat’ images and statues of him would have been natural.