China's Giant Buddha Of Leshan • Lazer Horse

China’s Giant Buddha Of Leshan

On November 28, 2014 by Tim Newman

The giant Chinese Buddha in Leshan is of epic proportions. At 71 metres (233 feet) tall, the stone statue cuts a mean figure; however, somehow, he still looks pretty benign, probably thanks to the nonchalant expression.

The Leshan Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty (completed in 803 AD) and is the largest stone statue of Buddha in the world. It also gets props for being the tallest pre-modern statue in the world by a good 10 metres or so. Second place goes to the Gautama Buddha in Wutan County, China.

The Leshan Buddha’s construction began in 713 AD under the watchful gaze of a monk called Haitong. Haitong’s hope was that the massive statue of Buddha would help calm the tempestuous waters of the river below, which had been giving trading vessels grief for many years.

When funding for the monster was looking shaky, Haitong decided to gouge out his own eyes to prove his sincerity. That’ll do it. Building carried on after that little episode but, when Haitong eventually died, the building stopped for 70 years.

After the 70-year pause, a Jiedushi (regional military governor of the Tang era) decided he’d stump up the cash; finally, the statue was completed by Haitong’s faithful disciples.

The funny thing is, thanks to the huge amount of rock that ended up in the river during the process of carving out the statue, the river really did change its aspect and grew calmer. Good one, Buddha!

One of the most impressive parts of the Leshan Buddha is unseen by most visitors. The designers installed an amazingly forward-thinking system of drainage pipes to carry water away, helping to avoid excess weathering when the rains come.

Originally, there was a monumental thirteen-storey stone structure that protected the statue from the elements too, but the Mongols smashed it to bits during the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Naughty Mongols.