Leshan Giant Buddha

Leshan Giant Buddha (Leshan Giant Buddha), also known as Lingyun Giant Buddha, is officially named 'Jiazhou Lingyun Temple's Grand Maitreya Stone Statue', located on the east bank of the Minjiang River in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, at the confluence of the Dadu River, Qingyi River, and Minjiang River. The Buddha is a seated statue of Maitreya, with a total height of 71 meters, making it the largest cliff-carved stone statue in China. The construction of the Giant Buddha began in the first year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (713 AD) and was completed in the nineteenth year of the Zhenyuan era (803 AD), taking about ninety years. The head of the Leshan Giant Buddha is level with the mountain, with a head height of 14.7 meters and a width of 10 meters, 1051 hair buns, and ears that are 7 meters long. Carved into the mountain and sitting facing the river, the Buddha has a solemn and majestic presence. On the cliffs along the river on both sides of the Buddha, there are also two guardian deity statues, each over 16 meters tall. To the right of the Giant Buddha is an ancient plank road with nine bends, which was left from the construction of the Buddha during the Tang Dynasty. It is carved along the cliff, winding and extremely steep. After the completion of the Buddha's carving, a seven-story pavilion was built to cover it (there are also claims of nine or thirteen stories), known as the 'Great Buddha Pavilion' or 'Great Image Pavilion'. However, the pavilion was repeatedly built and destroyed. The initiator of the Buddha statue was the Zen master Haitong. Haitong was from Guizhou and practiced in Lingyun Mountain. Seeing the raging waters of the three rivers often resulting in the tragedy of shipwrecks and loss of life, he resolved to carve the Giant Buddha, hoping to rely on the power of Buddhism to reduce the water's ferocity and forever calm the waves. Thus, Haitong traveled far and wide, across the great rivers of the south and north, and the regions of the two lakes and Huaihai, gathering manpower and financial resources, and commenced the work in 713 AD. At that time, the image of Maitreya Buddha was widely spread during the Zhou Dynasty and naturally became the first choice for Haitong's statue. When the head and chest of the Buddha began to take shape, Haitong passed away, and the construction of the Giant Buddha was halted for the first time. Going down the ancient plank road with nine bends, one can reach the feet of the Giant Buddha, look up to see the full view of the Buddha, and take pictures. However, due to maintenance, we were unable to fulfill this wish and only admired the upper half of the Buddha. Alternatively, one could choose to take a boat and view the Giant Buddha in its entirety from the waterway, which we regretfully did not arrange due to time constraints. Behind the head of the Buddha is the peak of Lingyun Mountain, where there is a cave called 'Master Hai's Cave', the place where Monk Haitong once lived. Archaeological team members moved the remnants of the Tianning Pavilion stele into Master Hai's Cave to further protect this relic. The Leshan Giant Buddha has been able to endure to this day thanks to its unique and ingenious drainage system, which perfectly diverts the flow of water. The topknot on the Buddha's head is divided into 18 layers, with three layers in the middle designed as drainage channels, allowing rainwater from the top to flow away through these three channels; the drainage channels on the body are hidden in various collars and folds; similar drainage channels are also designed on the chest and arms.