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Oct 23, 2023

Giant Buddha: Why Was This Giant Tribute Built, & How Can You Visit

See the world’s tallest Buddha sculpture in the south of Sichuan in China.

See the world's tallest Buddha sculpture in the south of Sichuan in China.

Tucked majestically at the confluence of the Min River and Dadu River, close to the city of Leshan in south Sichuan, is the world's tallest Buddha sculpture, the Leshan Giant Buddha. The Buddha measures 233 feet and is believed to have been built between 713 and 803 during the Tang dynasty. The impressive thing about this Buddha is that it is carved out right from a cliff face of Cretaceous red bed sandstones, and the face of the Buddha overlooks the beautiful Mount Emei. The view here is a little more ethereal thanks to the rivers that flow below the giant statue's feet.

Visitors will surely see the skillful work of the statue, which has been well executed. There are about 1,021 buns in the Buddha's coiled hair. The head measures about 14.7 meters in height and 10 meters in width. Both the mouth and eyes are 3.3 meters wide. There is also a closed hole in the statue's chest, which is invisible because there is a stone in front of it. Interestingly, it is estimated that about 100 people can sit on its giant feet. Owing to its historical and cultural significance, the Giant Statue is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the Tang dynasty, many people worshiped Maitreya, who was prophesied to appear in the future in order to teach people enlightenment.

Many warriors in the Tang dynasty regarded Maitreya as a symbol of a bright future. The Buddhist holy scripture claims that when Maitreya comes, there will be world peace.

Because of this reason, a Buddhist monk named Hai Tong decided to build the giant Buddha statue, as he thought that would calm down the turbulent rivers that caused much nuisance to the people who earned their living around the three rivers located close to where the giant statue is.

Every year, many people are reported to have died in turbulent waters.

In 723 AD, the construction of the statue started after Hai Tong painstakingly accumulated money without taking any help from the officials (who wanted to help for their own benefit).

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Unfortunately, the construction was stopped up to the shoulder of the statue after the death of Hai Tong, but later, his disciples continued the work thanks to the financial support of Zhangchou Jianxiong, who was a local official.

Again, the work was delayed as Zhangchou was called back to serve at the royal court in Chang’an. The construction was finally completed in 803 after 70 years with the support of Jiedushi Wei Gao.

It was noted that ever since the statue was built, there have been fewer shipwrecks on the river since many of the stones were removed and transferred to the rivers during the construction, which consequently calmed the waters and made it safer to navigate.

Archeological excavations suggest that there were many small statues of Buddha carved around the giant statue. This suggests that Buddhism played a crucial role in the lives of the local people in ancient China, similar to ancient Indonesia (where lies the massive Mahayana Buddhist temple of the 9th century).

There are many anecdotes and legends associated with the Leshan Giant Buddha. In 1962, the region faced a natural disaster, which lasted for two years. There were millions of people who died due to starvation. Sadly, many bodies were floating in the Min River, and it is believed that the Giant Buddha could not bear to see the tragedy and thus closed his eyes.

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It is thought that the statue was displaying different emotions to many Buddhist faith-keepers, but this phenomenon was later explained as the result of bad weather, air pollution, and people's imaginations.

There was another incident in 2002, where a halo appeared right above the head of the statue, and locals believed that halo was Buddha's light.

Later, that phenomenon was explained by the diffraction and diffused reflection of the sunlight on the surface of water droplets in the clouds.

One of the best ways to reach the spiritual attraction is to fly to Chengdu's airport and then take a high-speed train to Mount Emei. The train's duration is about an hour and a half. Once at Mount Emei, take one of the many buses to reach the attraction.

Right at the Leshan Giant Statue, take a 30-minute boat trip and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the verdant surrounding areas and the giant Buddha. There will be many opportunities to take pictures at the best angle.

Another way to get an up-close view of the statue is by crossing the bridge from the hilltop to the feet of the statue. This can take up to three hours.

To make the most out of the trip, it is recommended to visit the attraction when it is sunny, which is around the months of April and October when visitors can enjoy the clear view of the attraction.

Heyleena is a travel writer, who enjoys writing about places that inspire one to travel. Get all her travel tips for your next destination through her articles.