The tallest stone Buddha statue in the world, the Giant Buddha will make you thankful it is not a living thing or else you’d be squashed when it steps on you! It is so enormous that your eyes will pop out when you get to see it.
The Giant Buddha can be found in the city of Leshan located in the Sichuan Province in China. The creation was initiated by a Buddhist Monk called Hai Tong in AD 713. He believed that constructing a giant Buddha around the confluence of the three rivers, namely, Dadu River, Qingyi River and Min River, would help protect the boats of the people who earned their living around the rivers. He also believed that the presence of a Giant Buddha would help in taming the water spirits. It took 90 years for his vision to materialize. Today, the Giant Buddha is visited by thousands of both local and foreign tourists.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Giant Buddha is best viewed by either taking a tourist ferry or from a terrace next to its ear. It stands 233 feet tall, has a 24-meterwide shoulder, eyebrows that are 18 feet long, 27 feet long fingers, a 9-meter wide instep, ears that measure 7 meters each, and 1,021 buns in the Buddha's coiled hair. It is not only its impressive appearance that will amaze you, its drainage system distributed in its head, arms, behind the ears and clothes ensure that the Giant Buddha will survive harsh weather conditions and erosion.
If you are going to take trip to China, you must not pass on the opportunity to see the Giant Buddha. It will stupefy you!
