Have you ever wonder what a mere man is capable of doing and achieving? Well, a tour to see the Leshan Giant Buddha will probably help to open your horizon and get a glimpse of human capacity for unthinkable achievement.
I was moved by the story told by the tour guide about the history of this Giant Buddha. It was told that a monk by the name of Haitong was saddened to see the disruption to shipping vessels and even loss of lives caused by the turbulent water at the confluence of three rivers - Min River, Qingyi River and Dudu River. He decided to build a massive Buddha statute at the cliff directly facing the confluence with the hope that it would calm the water. Work started in 713 AD.
According to legend, when some local corrupt government officials wanted to have a cut of the money Haitong raised for this project, Haitong flatly told them that they could have his eyeball but not the money raised for the statute. The government official thought he was just joking and challenged him to do it, Haitong did indeed gouge out one of his eyes and offered it to the officials. The officials were utterly shaken by such act and left quickly never to disturb the project again. As a result of his sincerity and devotion, more donation poured in. But the project was half finished when Haitong passed away and two of his disciples continued the project. The project was finally completed in 803 AD by the local governor, some 90 years after it was first started.
According to legend, when some local corrupt government officials wanted to have a cut of the money Haitong raised for this project, Haitong flatly told them that they could have his eyeball but not the money raised for the statute. The government official thought he was just joking and challenged him to do it, Haitong did indeed gouge out one of his eyes and offered it to the officials. The officials were utterly shaken by such act and left quickly never to disturb the project again. As a result of his sincerity and devotion, more donation poured in. But the project was half finished when Haitong passed away and two of his disciples continued the project. The project was finally completed in 803 AD by the local governor, some 90 years after it was first started.
The statue is 71m high. The head is 14.7m long and 10m wide. The hair was carved with 1,021 buns. This is the tallest Buddha sculpture in the world, 18m taller than the Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan which was dynamited and destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001.
Apparently since so much stones were removed from the cliff and dumped into the river below, the currents of the rivers were in fact altered and the passageway was made safe for moving vessels.
Apparently since so much stones were removed from the cliff and dumped into the river below, the currents of the rivers were in fact altered and the passageway was made safe for moving vessels.
It was said that when the statute was built, a huge 13-story wooden structure was erected to shelter the statute from rain and sunlight. The structure was destroyed by the Mongols during the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. From then on, the statute was exposed to the elements. In the engineering aspect, a sophisticated drainage system was incorporated which is still in working order. It includes drainage pipes carved into various places on the body to channel the surface water away.
Boats that traverse from the jetty to the Giant Buddha spend probably just over five minutes in front of the giant statute. With such small window of time, all tourists would scramble to take shots as quickly and as many as possible. For tourists who have more time and who are prepared to do more walking, they would be driven to the top of the mountain and asked to join the queue to descend to the base of the statute. At the peak season, the queue can last easily to two to three hours.
Boats that traverse from the jetty to the Giant Buddha spend probably just over five minutes in front of the giant statute. With such small window of time, all tourists would scramble to take shots as quickly and as many as possible. For tourists who have more time and who are prepared to do more walking, they would be driven to the top of the mountain and asked to join the queue to descend to the base of the statute. At the peak season, the queue can last easily to two to three hours.
A few years ago, it was discovered that Wuyou Mountain, Lingyun Mountain and Guicheng Mountain behind the Giant Buddha appear in the shape of a sleeping Buddha when viewed from a distance. Soon after, this was promoted as the Giant Sleeping Buddha. The head is Wuyou Mountain, the body is Lingyun Mountain and the feet is Guicheng Mountain. The full length is estimated at 4,000m in a north-south alignment with the head at the north.
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The long queue is clearly visible in long winding staircase from the top to the base.
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| Abstracted from http://www.chinadiscovery.com/sichuan/leshan/ leshan-giant-buddha.html |
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Bamiyan Buddha before and after the destruction. Abstracted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Buddhas_of_Bamiyan#/media/ File:Taller_Buddha_of_Bamiyan_
before_and_after_destruction.jpg |
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