Leshan Giant Buddha

러산대불

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-metre stone statue carved into a red sandstone cliff in the south of Sichuan Province, China, near the city of Leshan. It sits where the Min, Dadu and Qingyi rivers meet, and it faces Mount Emei with the water flowing below its feet. It is the largest and tallest stone Buddha in the world and by far the tallest pre-modern statue.

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At a glance

Country: China
Location: Leshan, Sichuan, China
Built: 803
Height: 71 m
Type: Statue

Quick answers

Where is Leshan Giant Buddha?

Leshan Giant Buddha is in Leshan, Sichuan, China.

When was Leshan Giant Buddha built?

Leshan Giant Buddha was built in 803.

How tall is Leshan Giant Buddha?

Leshan Giant Buddha is about 71 m tall.

A 71 m Buddha carved into a riverside cliff where three rivers meet, the largest stone Buddha in the world.

Work began around 722 in the Tang dynasty and was completed in 803, roughly eight to nine decades later. The Leshan Giant Buddha scenic area, together with Mount Emei, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Only the Great Buddha of Thailand, a modern concrete statue, is taller among such Buddha statues.

A monk, a river and a vow

The project was led by a Buddhist monk named Hai Tong, who believed the Maitreya Buddha would calm the rough water that kept wrecking boats. When money ran short, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show how sincere he was. After he died the work stalled with the statue finished only from the shoulders up. His disciples carried on with the help of a local official, and later the governor Wei Gao paid for the last stage. So much rock was cut away and dropped into the river that the currents really changed, which made the water safer for ships.

How big is the Buddha?

The figure sits with its hands on its knees. Its shoulders are about 28 metres wide according to one measurement, its ears are 7 metres long and could each hold two people, and its head holds 1,021 spiral curls of hair. The smallest toenail is large enough for a person to sit on, and the instep can hold around a hundred people. A local saying goes, "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain." Only the ears were made of wood, covered with clay.

Drains, shelters and weather

Hidden gutters and channels in the hair, collar and chest, plus holes behind the ears and chest, drain rainwater and keep the inside dry. This system still works and has helped protect the statue for about 1,200 years. A huge 13-storey wooden shelter once covered the Buddha, but it was destroyed in wars at the end of the Yuan dynasty. Since then the stone has faced the weather, along with air pollution and moss, ferns and shrubs, and the government has promised restoration.

Fun facts

It took about 90 years to carve.
The statue is carved out of the cliff itself and is 71 metres tall.
Its head has 1,021 spiral curls of hair.
Each ear is about 7 metres long and could hold two people.
Rock cut from the cliff fell into the river and changed the currents, which made the water safer.