Leshan Giant Buddha is an enormous statue carved
into the cliff side of Lingyun Mountain. The Buddha is over 71 meters
(230ft) tall with 28 meter (92ft) wide shoulders and a 15 meter
(49ft) high head. More than 100 people can sit between the Buddha’s
feet.
The carving of this massive statue commenced in
713AD during the Tang dynasty and was only completed in 803AD. The
Buddha overlooks the confluence of the Min, Qingyi and Dadu rivers
just east of Leshan and is reputed to be the largest carved stone
Buddha in the world. A local saying explains, "The mountain
is a Buddha, the Buddha is a mountain".
