Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha is carved directly into a cliff face at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers in Sichuan province, China. The massive stone monument sits just east of the city of Leshan.

The stone statue is an astonishing 71 meters (about 233 feet) tall, making it the largest stone Buddha sculpture in the world. The statue is so massive that dozens of people can sit on the top of its curiously curly head.

Construction of the giant Maitreya Buddha began in the year 713 CE during the Tang Dynasty, spearheaded by a monk named Hai Tong. The massive project was finally completed by his disciples roughly 90 years later, around 803 CE.

The monk Hai Tong commissioned the massive statue to pacify the turbulent, swirling river waters that frequently destroyed cargo boats. The millions of tons of stone carved from the cliff face and dumped into the river successfully altered the currents and calmed the water.