The Leshan Giant Buddha is carved into a cliff at the meeting of the Min and Dadu Rivers on Lingyun Mountain, near Leshan in Sichuan, China. The monk Hai Tong began it, hoping the Maitreya Buddha would calm the dangerous river. Work started in 722 AD, stalled after his death, and his disciples finished it in 803.
The statue is 233 feet (71 meters) tall, carved from red sandstone, with 1,021 spiraled curls of hair. Its ears are 23 feet (7 meters) long, and its instep could hold about 100 people. Hidden gutters and channels in the hair, collar and chest drain water. The article says this has prevented erosion for about 1,200 years.
It is part of the Mount Emei Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. The ticket was 90 yuan, and the site opens in the morning and closes in the evening.
Comments