Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a giant stone Buddha that was created during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), it is carved out of the 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. It faces Mount Emei with the river flowing beneath the feet of the stone sculpture as it is the largest carved stone Buddha in the world and listed as the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. Because of this extraordinary feat of human ingenuity the Leshan Giant Buddha has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Construction for this wonder began in 713 led by a Chinese monk named Haitong who wanted to make this stone sculpture because he hoped that by creating this sculpture that the waters would be calmed since they were turbulent and were causing problems for the trading ships. However there were insufficient fundings for the project and when Haitong heard that he gouged out his own eyes to demonstrate his piety and sincerity but Haitong died before the construction was completed and the project was halted until 70 years later when a Jiedushi, a military governor, decided to sponsor the project and it was completed in 803 by Haitong’s disciples; coincidently the waters where the statue was built became safe for ships to travel on.

However over the years the statue has slowly been degraded by the weather and pollution, this not only includes the Leshan Giant Buddha but also other cultural and important heritage sites all over China due to the heavy pollution in China. The government has vowed to restore the wonder to it’s former glory.
Some facts about the Leshan Giant Buddha:

. It is 71 meters tall

. There are several passages hidden in the Buddha's hair, collar, chest, and holes in the back of his ears preventing the Buddha from serious erosion and weathering. He has been lovingly maintained on a regular basis throughout his 1,200-year history, but is still a bit mossy

. It’s smallest toenail can seat a person