See the giant Buddha Statue at Leshan.

The Giant Buddha at Leshan is a must see.

It is about an hour by bus from Chengdu.

Like so many things in China, the Giant Buddha is full of surprises.

It is the largest Buddha statue in the world, built into a steep hillside overlooking several large rivers coming together.

You can see it by climbing down the mountain next to the statue, or from a boat on the river below.

The Giant Buddha is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Giant Buddha at Leshan The Giant Buddha is carved in the side of a mountain called Linyun Mountain near Leshan which is about 150 kms from Chengdu.

It was built in the 8th century and is over 70 meters tall. It is the biggest Buddhist statue in the world.

Pollution is causing problems. The black streaks in the picture have been caused by pollution over the years.

However the Chinese are fighting the effects of pollution by continually cleaning the statue.

See the ropes hanging down to the right of the picture? They are scaled by Chinese workers armed with big brooms who keep cleaning the statue.

The Giant Buddha is in a large park with landscaped gardens.

Apart from the Giant Buddha Statue itself, there are many other statues and carvings as well as temples.

Buddhist Statues and Temples

The Buddha statue in the picture is one of many in the Giant Buddha national park.

The statues are in all different sizes and shapes.

The Giant Buddha is the largest but the one in the picture is quite large too!

Other statues depict Buddha lying on his side, sitting as well as standing.

You probably will see so many statues you will become sick of them. However, it is worth the effort because you will get an appreciation of the huge devotion that Chinese people had to their religion in the past.

A great amount of labour, devotion and dedication went into all the statues and temples.

Giant Buddha at Leshan

The temple in the picture is at the top of a small but steep hill in the Leshan Giant Buddha park.

A short but strenuous climb will get you to the top to view the temple.

There are several statues as well at the top.

Interestingly, there were thousands of padlocks on the railing up the side of the steps.

Friends of mine said they were placed there by people for good luck.

The area is thickly vegetated with lush vegetation around the stairway and temple. It is a very scenic place.

You will enjoy the countryside consisting of hills, green vegetation, gardens and the river if you get sick of monuments and temples (as you might because there are so many of them!).

You can spend a whole day here walking and exploring.

You should wear good walking shoes and take drinking water. There is lots of walking up and down hills and steps.

The Giant Buddha at Leshan is World Heritage listed by Unesco.

Getting There

Catch the bus from the Chengdu Tourist Bus Station. Unless you speak and read Chinese you will need help. Signage is in Chinese. Ask someone from your hotel or a Chinese friend to help.

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