Behold the Maitreya Buddha in Leshan, one of the tallest statues of Buddha on Earth. He is 233 feet tall with shoulders measuring 92 feet wide. This truly awesome monument was carved out of the sheer cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. Construction began in 713AD led by a Chinese monk named Haitong who hoped the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels traveling down the river. The Leshan Buddha was completed in 803AD.
Apparently the massive construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff face and deposited into the river below that the currents were indeed altered by the statue, making the waters safe for passing ships.
Visit FreeYork to view more photos of this massive stone marvel.
[via Design You Trust]
(via televandalist)
