Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

The Leshan Giant Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty. It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet.

The Giant Buddha of Leshan, or Leshan Dafo, also called the Big Buddha of Leshan, is the largest stone sculpture of Buddha in the world. The colossal 71meter (233ft) seated statue of Buddha (dafo) is located on a cliff at the confluence of two rivers, the Dadu He and the Min He, overlooking the town of Leshan, about 50 km east of Emeishan. The Buddha is so big that one hundred people can stand on any one of its feet.

The Leshan Giant Buddha

Historical documents show that the carving of the Leshan Dafo was begun in 713AD. According to legend, there was a river monster that lived on the confluence of the rivers. The monster often caused floods that capsized passing boats. Believing that the statue would protect boats travelling up the river, Master Haitong, a Buddhist abbot of the Lingyun Monastery, initiated the project by raising the necessary funds.

The Leshan Giant Buddha

On the first day of construction, an avaricious official had his eye on the money raised for the project and tried to blackmail Master Haitong. Master Haitong defied him and said: You could gouge out my eyes but not touch the money donated to build the Buddha. The official flew into a rage and challenged him to do it. Master Haitong gouged out his own eyes and presented them in a tray to the official. The man fled in awe and terror.

The Leshan Dafo takes the shape of a Maitreya Buddha, or future Buddha. He is depicted barefooted with drooping ears and has his hair arranged in a spiral topknot. His head is covered with 1021 buns of curly hair, each large enough to support a big round table. His chest is exposed and his hands rest on his knees. Carved from the side of the Lingyun Hill, with his head level with the cliff top, the gigantic stone sculpture faces Emeishan, with the rivers flowing below his feet. The rocks carved off the cliff to create the Buddha were deposited into the river. The volume of rocks was so much that it eventually subdued the river currents.

On March 24, 2001, a large scale repair job was launched by the Chinese government. It was the first maintenance project on the Leshan Dafo since its inscription into the World Heritage List. The first phase covered restoration to the Buddha's head, shoulders, chest, and stomach. The technicians mended the Buddha's coiled bun of hair, cleaned the face, cleared away trash and weeds from the body, removed any inappropriate cement coating, and repaired the damage with traditional materials.

The Leshan Dafo measures 71meters in height. His shoulders are 28 meters across. The head is 14.7metes long and 10meters broad. The Buddha's toe is large enough to accommodate a dinner table. Taller by 17meters than the standing Buddha in Afghanistan, the Leshan Dafo is the tallest Buddha in the world and in 1996, it was added to Unesco's World Natural and Cultural Heritage List.

Help Me Get it Right

  About the Author