Rongxian: Great Buddha

CHINA, Sichuan, Zigong; Song dynasty

This Buddha statue is carved on a cliff face of Dafoshan (Giant Buddha Mountain). The head is 8.76 m high, the shoulders measure 12.67 m across, the knees are 12 m high, and the feet are 3.5 m wide. The head is sheltered by an arch above the Great Hero Hall, which houses the rest of the statue. The structure is also known as the Great Buddha Protection Building. The original building only allows the visitors to view the Buddha’s head from afar and the Buddha’s feet up close. Later, it was converted into a building with a four-eave hip-and-gable roof, allowing visitors to view the rest of the statue up close. Another structure is located above the statue which, from afar, looks like a crown.
A description of the Great Buddha statue featured in the Rongxian County Gazetteer states that it was built during the Tang dynasty (618–907). It was not until 1841 that the statue was restored and gilded.