Leshan: Great Buddha

CHINA, Sichuan, Leshan; Tang dynasty

This colossal statue depicting Maitreya Buddha is located on the west cliff of Linyunshan (Reaching the Sky Mountain). The statue, 71 m in height, is the world’s largest rock carving of a Buddha image. The mouth and eyes are 3.3 m in width, the nose is 5.6 m in length, and the eyebrows are 3.7 m in width. The shoulders are 28 m in width, the fingers are 8.3 m in length, and the feet are 8.5 m in width. The statue was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Monk Haitong, who lived during the Tang dynasty (618–907), proposed that a giant image of Maitreya be sculpted in order to protect the intersection of the three rivers at Leshan. Thus, construction commenced in 713 and continued after Haitong’s death under his disciples, until 803. The project was also supported by local officials, such as governors Zhangchou, Jianqiong, and Wei Guo, who donated both tax money and shares of their own salaries to sponsor the statue’s construction. Their names are inscribed on the cliff.
A giant pavilion that once covered the statue was destroyed during a war in the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Beside the figure’s feet are 16 m high niches that house Heavenly Kings. There are 1,021 curls atop Maitreya’s head, carved in such a manner as to allow rainwater to flow down onto the robes. In this way, the carvings function as gutters to prevent further erosion.