Giant Buddha of Leshan 乐山大佛

Leshan Giant Buddha (20 October, 2005)


The Giant Buddha of Leshan, or Leshan Dafo 乐山大佛, also called the Big Buddha of Leshan, is the largest stone sculpture of Buddha in the world. It is inscribed by UNESCO as one of China's World Heritage Sites.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is located facing the town of Leshan, about 50 km to the east of Emeishan. It is at the confluence of two rivers, the Dadu and the Min. This seated Buddha statue is 71 meters (233 feet) tall.

According to historical documents, the Leshan Giant Buddha was carved in AD 713. It was initated by a Buddhist abbot by the name of Master Haitong, to placade a river monster that was causing floods in the area that capsized boats. Master Haitong placed the Giant Buddha statue there to subdue the monster and pacify the currents. It is said that a greedy official tried to get his hands on the funds raised for the carving of the Giant Buddha and had tried to blackmail Master Haitong, who declared that he would rather gouge out his own eyes and allow the money to be handed over. Challenged by the enraged official, Master Maitong gourged out his own eyes and presented them to the official on a tray, and the man fled away in awe and terror. Nevertheless, Master Haitong did not live long enough to witness the completion of the statue, and his disciples Zang Chou and Wei Gao completed the job in 803, ninety years after it was started.

Staircase carved on the cliff surface at Leshan Giant Buddha (20 October, 2005)


Another giant sculpture beside the Leshan Giant Buddha (20 October, 2005)

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N29 32 41.64 E103 46 9.3
Inscription Year: 1996
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: IV, VI, X

List of World Heritage Sites in Sichuan Province and World Heritage Sites in China

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