Dafo, the Giant Buddha of Leshan, is the tallest stone Buddha statue in the world, standing over 71 meters in height with a width of 28 meters. The ear of the statue is 7 meters long, and the big toe is even longer at 8.5 meters. Carved during the 8th century, the Buddha has weathered the centuries remarkably well: the statue was built with drainage passages to prevent it from eroding and weathering away.
The seated Maitreya Buddha lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers, and faces the famous Mt. Emei. Ferries tour the area allowing travelers to take picture of the Buddha from afar while those that climb the terrace can come up to his ear and inspect the statue up close. On one side of the terrace is a modern statue of the monk Haitong, the sculptor of this great statue.
Today, Dafo resides inside a vast tree-filled park, packed with the usual collection of Chinese tourist attractions: stone lions and manmade waterfalls, stalls selling everything from jade trinkets to caged songbirds, and crowds posing for pictures in front of pagodas.
Leshan Giant Buddha and Mt. Emei have now been unified into one scenic area and were put on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage list in 1996.
Getting There:
Travelers interested in getting there by bus can go to Xinnan Men Bus Station and request a ticket to the Giant Buddha; buses begin to operate around 8 am with last bus departing at around 7:30 pm.
Visitors can also go to Shiyangchang Transportation Center. Most buses operate from 7:30 am until 7:00 pm. Additionally, Jinshan Station also offers buses that travel to the area. Most buses that travel to Giant Buddha of Leshan depart from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm on regular intervals.
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