Did you know that the biggest Buddha in the world is located near the city of Leshan, China? The Leshan Giant Buddha is carved into the side of a mountain facing Mount Emei with a large river flowing at the base of the sculpture.
At the time of construction, this was the tallest statue in the world. This Big Buddha was constructed during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). Thankfully it has not been damaged by the Chinese Earthquakes.
Construction of this Buddha was started in 713 and completed in 803AD. Construction was initially led by a monk who had hoped that the statue would calm the waters of the river. In fact, due to construction so much rock was removed from the face of the mountain which fell into the river causing the currents of the river to shift that the river was indeed calmed.
The Buddha is 233 feet tall. The local saying is: The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is definitely on my “Bucket List” of places to see!
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