Chengdu: Leshan Giant Buddha (UNESCO Heritage) in Sichuan province of China

Leshan Giant Buddha (乐山大佛 in Chinese as Lèshān Dàfó) is the tallest and largest pre-modern stone statue in the world. Leshan Giant Buddha stands at 71 meters (about 233 feet) at height and it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a statue of Bodhisattva, which is located to the east of Leshan City, Sichuan Province at the junction of three rivers, namely Min River, Qingyi River and Dadu River. The construction of this Leshan Giant Buddha statue was led by a Chinese monk named Hai Tong in the year 713 (during the Tang Dynasty) and was completed by Hai Tong’s disciples in the year 803.  During the craving of Leshan Giant Buddha statue, a lot of stones were being removed from the cliff of the mountain and were thrown into the river. As such, the current of the strong and fierce water river has been tamed into more calm and safe for ships to pass by. 

The most amazing and uniqueness of this architecture of the Leshan Giant Buddha stone statue is the drainage system and it is still working until now. The drainage pipes and hidden gutters are built into various places on the body in order to remove the water from the rain and prevent flooding to occur.

Click here to read more Chengdu: Leshan Giant Buddha (UNESCO Heritage) in Sichuan province of China