Statue of Buddha Maitreya

The Buddha statue, located in the small Chinese province of Sichuan, near the city of Leshan, is considered the largest Buddha statue on Earth. Moreover, this is the highest sculptural creation in the whole world for already a millennium. The statue is carved into the rock in the place where the three rivers flow: Daduhe, Minjiang and Qinjiang. Earlier, these three rivers were turbulent streams, which brought to all many misfortunes and misfortunes.

History of the erection of the statue

In 713, the monk Haitung decided to save people from the calamities that the three treacherous rivers brought to them. He gathered the masters and decided to carve on the rock of the Great Buddha. The largest Buddha statue was erected for ninety years, it was a difficult and time-consuming work. To protect the sculpture from snow and rain above it, a wooden tower "Dasyenge" was built in thirteen tiers. But later, during the mutinies and wars, this building was destroyed by a fire. From the north and south side of the Great Buddha, images of bodhisattvas are carved. For many years, the statue of the Great Buddha was in the open. During this period, the image has changed a lot. Only in 1962, the Chinese government decided to restore the creation. At the moment, the Buddha statue in China refers to the important cultural values of the state.

Ancient World Heritage Site

This is the world's largest stone Buddha sitting at the cliff and watching the three rivers at his feet. The height of the statue is 71 meters, for more than a thousand years this creation occupies the first place in the ranking of the highest monuments of the world. Ancient architects assured us that all great things should be embodied in gigantic proportions, and the great monk Maitreya is revered by all Buddhist schools as the future teacher of all mankind.

The Legend of the Great Statue

According to an ancient legend, the monk Haytun 1200 years ago decided to cut the image of the supreme deity in the rock in order to coax the elements of the three rivers. For many years, the monk collected funds for the erection of the statue of the towns and villages, and only in 713 the colossal construction began. The monk did not live to see the completion of the statue of Buddha, when he died, it was carved only to the knees. But his great goal was achieved - the stone fragments that the workers threw into the river, partially suppressed the water currents. After the death of Haitung, the construction was continued by the rulers of Sichuan, and in 803, 90 years after the construction began, the image of the Enlightened Buddha was completed.

Tourist attraction

The face of the Enlightened Buddha is seen from the top of the rock, but his body and legs hide the ledge. No matter how hard the tourists try to find the most convenient place for a complete survey, the Buddha statue is visible only in the side view. If you look at the sculpture from below, then the whole panorama is occupied by the knees of the Buddha, and somewhere far above its giant face. But in Buddhism, statues are not created for contemplation, the universe can not be understood with the help of the mind or senses. The whole universe is the body of Truth, or the body of the Buddha. But it is dharma that allows a person to attain enlightened being in earthly life.

Go to the park, adjacent to the statue, you can for 80 yuan. To get closer to the statue, tourists should climb the stairs, on one side of which there is a cliff, and on the other - a rock.