The Leshan Giant Buddha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China, standing at over 230 feet tall. It depicts Maitreya Buddha and was built to protect locals from dangerous river conditions. Construction began in the 8th century and was completed nearly a century later. The statue has been restored by the Chinese government, but pollution has caused some damage. It faces Mount Emei, one of four sacred mountains in China for Buddhists.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is a huge Buddha statue in China. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been since 1996. The Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest Buddha statue in the world, at just over 230 feet (70m) tall.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is located in the Sichuan province of China. It stands overlooking three rivers merging: the Qingyi, the Dadu and the Min. The size of the Buddha is truly impressive, with even his fingers reaching over 10 meters in length each.
The Leshan Giant Buddha depicts Maitreya Buddha in a seated position. Maitreya Buddha is a Buddha-to-be who is said to come to Earth to teach pure dharma, completing the task started by the historical Buddha Sakyamuni whom most people associate with Buddhism.
Construction of the Leshan Giant Buddha was begun in the early 8th century by a monk named Hai Tong. The three rivers flowing together created dangerous conditions for the locals who used the rivers for trade and fishing, and many people died on a regular basis. These deaths were attributed to a misbehaving river spirit, and Hai Tong thought that the presence of a guardian would keep the river spirit in check and protect the locals.
Hai Tong spent twenty years raising the money needed to undertake his huge project. When he finally got the money, people from the local government came and tried to take it away. To show them how devoted he was to his cause, he is said to have gouged out his eye and offered it to them, stating that they could have his eye, but he would never part with the money needed for the project. After that, the officials left Hai Tong alone.
For the rest of his life Hai Tong supervised the carving of the massive Leshan Giant Buddha, dying when he was just halfway through completion. His students continued his work and after nearly a century the Giant Buddha of Leshan was finished. The Leshan Giant Buddha was equipped with a number of features to protect it from rain and erosion, including cleverly hidden gutters. However, over the centuries the statue began to deteriorate, until it was restored by the Chinese government in the 1960s. Since then the Buddha has been structurally in good condition, although pollution from nearby coal-fired power plants and factories has blackened large areas of it.
The Leshan Giant Buddha faces sacred Mount Emei and is part of the same World Heritage Site. Mount Emei is one of four sacred mountains in China for Buddhists, and the mountain itself is dotted with Buddhist monasteries and inhabited by incredibly docile monkeys. There are stone stairs leading to the top of Mount Emei, which many pilgrims trek every day, and a bus or cable car can take you almost to the top.
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