Giant Buddha

About the Giant Buddha

Leshan is a city in Sichuan province, China, famous for the Leshan Giant Buddha - the world's largest stone Buddha statue. This UNESCO World Heritage site stands 71 meters tall and was carved out of a cliff face during the Tang Dynasty, representing an incredible feat of ancient engineering and Buddhist devotion.

Carved into the red sandstone cliff at the confluence of the Min, Dadu and Qingyi rivers, the seated Maitreya known as the Leshan Giant Buddha was begun in 713 CE under the monk Haitong, who according to tradition hoped the work would calm the turbulent currents that wrecked boats below; the project continued after his death and was completed around 803 CE. At roughly 71 metres tall, it is the largest pre-modern stone Buddha statue, and UNESCO inscribed it with Mount Emei as a World Heritage site in 1996. Today it anchors the city's tourism and identity, appearing in local emblems and drawing millions of visitors, while erosion and weathering have prompted repeated conservation campaigns.