Possibly the Great Wall of China is the most recognized and impressive World Heritage monument in all of China, but those who travel to the province of Sichuan – a true microcosm in the great Asian country – cannot miss visiting the giant Buddha of Leshan. The sculpture, also recognized by Unesco, is a huge figure carved into a 71-meter-high sandstone cliff whose vision is overwhelming.
It is the Maitreya Buddha, sculpted in front of Mount Emei -one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism in the country-, at the confluence of the Min Jiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers. And today, twelve centuries after its construction, it remains standing, one of the great tourist attractions in this area of ??southwestern China.
The dimensions of one of the tallest statues in the world raised in honor of Buddha are excessive. His head, whose hair is adorned by more than a thousand bows, exceeds 14 meters in height and 10 meters in width; his shoulders reach 28 m; The huge feet of him measure 11m in height and 8.3m in length; his ears, 8m, while his eyes and mouth exceed three meters.
The construction of the Great Buddha of Leshan was carried out during the Tang dynasty, which ruled between 618 and 907, and its goal was no less. It was intended to calm the strong currents that made it difficult for boats to navigate and that caused numerous shipwrecks for the people who made their living around the three rivers, a danger that the inhabitants of the time blamed on the evil spirits living in their waters.
The person in charge of carrying out the project -and thus expelling the perfidious spirits- was Haitong, a convinced monk who set to work in the year 713. After numerous economic and technical difficulties, his disciples managed to finish the work in 803, nine decades later, with satisfactory results: they had made the journey much safer. However, the reason was none other than the alteration of the current as a consequence of the consolidation of the remains resulting from the construction of the sculpture at the bottom of the waters.
The building, in which thousands of workers participated, is an outstanding work of engineering, since the figure has a drainage system that prevents rainwater from remaining inside. For this, gutters were used as decorative finishes, a technique that makes it unique in the world and that has allowed it to reach our days in a good state of conservation. In recent years, the facilities have been subjected to restoration and cleaning work, caused by the passage of time.
One of the best ways to travel to Leshan is to fly to Chengdu and, once there, take the high-speed train, which takes about an hour. Already in Leshan, a bus drives to the compound. One of the best ways to see the Great Buddha and the spectacular green landscapes that surround it is on a short boat ride, from which the best photos are captured.
The most recommended time of year to visit it is between April and October and, to avoid crowds, do it late in the afternoon. The entrance price is yuan (11.5 euros).
