The grand opening of the image of Buddha Amitabha skillfully carved by Tuvan stonecutters took place in Chaa-Khol district of Tuva. The image, blessing ceremony of which was a real festival, represents a replica of a historic monument which is under threat of extinction due to the construction of the
Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station. The original image, which can be seen only during the discharge of water at the water basin, is being rapidly destroyed by the environment. According to the official data, the niche with the image of Amitabha Buddha was made in the XI-XIII century AD. These numbers are determined on the basis of the fact that during this period there was another outspread of Buddhism in Tuva. Before the consecration of a replica image of Amitabha Buddha, participants of the ceremony got to the ancient monument by the boat where they said a prayer and lit the lamp, which was then raised to the mountain to the new niche. The new image was deliberately cut at a considerable height to protect the relic from destruction.