Leshan Giant Stone Buddha - World's Largest - Sichuan, China

Deep within China is a stone Buddha bigger than all others. On this episode, we unveil the Leshan Giant Stone Buddha.Show more

Located in the southern Sichuan province of China close to the city it’s named after, Leshan, this Buddha measures 232 feet or 71 meters tall.. Being the largest stone statue in the world and world’s largest of pre-modern times, this giant Buddha has been surpassed by other modern buddhas in size like the Ushiku Daibutsu in Japan and the Spring Temple Buddha in Henan China by almost twice the height. These modern constructions required far less work to create than the Leshan Buddha as it was carved out of the side of the river’s rocky edge.

The idea for the Leshan Buddha came from a Chinese cleric named Hai Tong back in 713. Turbulent stormy waters wreaked havok for ships traveling down the river, Hai Tong believed building a Giant Buddha at the junction where the Dadu, Minijang and Qingyi rivers met would provide safe protection for the ships and keep the conditions calm. He also believed that removing all that rock and putting it into the river would slow the current protecting the ships, which it did. Hai Tong initially raised some money and started the project but when problems with funding and the government arose he made a bold move by removing his own eyes as a statement to show his dedication and sincerity to the project. Many years had passed with the project on hold until a Sichuan Jiedushi funded Hai Tong’s vision completing construction in 803. The Leshan Giant Buddha was completed by 3 generations of craftsman working on it over a 90 year span of time. A clever drainage system was built into the body of the Buddha allowing rainwater to not pool at the bottom. A massive 13 story wooden building was built around the Leshan Buddha to give it further protection from the elements but was dismantled by the Mongols during a war.

Today a popular tourist attraction, the Leshan Giant Buddha can be viewed from the bottom or the top following a set of switchback staircases. The head alone measures 48 feet or 14.7 meters wide by 32 feet or 10 meters wide. Becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, this statue is said to be one of Maitreya Buddha, a successor to the preset one called Gautama Buddha. If you want to visit it, avoid doing so on Chinese holidays and bring some money for the admission fee. Busses and taxis both will get you to this site but the best view of the Buddha is from a boat.

Source:
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/sichuan/leshan/leshan-giant-buddha.html
https://www.thehistoryhub.com/leshan-giant-buddha-facts-pictures.htm

Footage:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125945909@N05/17116984521
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kudumomo/5123312738
https://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeinterlude/190234/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/drs2biz/244968593/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/awfulshot/4277330188

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Intro music thanks to Machinmasound:
Rallying the Defense:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruPk4RD19Nw

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