Leshan
By - Posted on 29 March 2008
Leshan Buddha is 71m high and you'll feel infinitely smalljust compared with one of the Buddh's toenails. The statue is carved out from rocks at the confluence of the Dadu, Minjiang and Qingyi Rivers. Legend has it the swift currents created by the clash of these rivers sunk innumerable ships and drowned their passengers. In AD713 the monk Haitong began building the Buddha in the hope this would prevent further disasters. Construction finished 90 years later and the waste rocks from the carving succeeded in calming the waters. The sight of the Buddha is amazing, his head is 15 meters high, the nose is 6 meter long and the index fingers are 8m long. The best views of the Buddha are onboard a boat on the review or from the hills that flank its head.
