10 JULY, 2015 -
22:50 BRYAN
HILL Ancient Origins
Not far
from the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China, sits the
Leshan Giant Buddha statue. Carved into the side of Mt. Lingyun,
the colossal statue is over 1,300-years-old and is considered to be
the largest stone Buddha in the world, and by far the tallest
pre-modern statue. The site attracts millions of people every year,
including Buddhist pilgrims, making it something of a sacred
destination and an ancient wonder of the world.
The
Leshan Giant Buddha statue (also known as Dafo), is located to the
east of Leshan City and sits at the junction of three rivers; the
Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River. It faces the sacred
Mount Emei with the rivers flowing below its feet and depicts a
stout, smiling monk, calmly sitting, resting his hands upon his
knees with heavy-lidded eyes gazing across the river. The statue is
believed to be Maitreya, a Buddha and disciple of Sakyamuni, who is
thought to have been the founder of Buddhism, symbolizing
brightness and happiness.
Worshiping Maitreya
was especially popular between the 4th and 7th Centuries.
Today, images of him can still be found in many Buddhist temples
throughout China and the Leshan statue is considered the most
inspiring of them all.
The
appeal of the Buddha lies not only in its size but in its
architectural craftsmanship. The entire statue is made of
stone, except for the ears which were crafted out of wood, then
affixed, and covered with clay. The Buddha’s hair is arranged in
special spiraled curls with 1,021 twists that have been skillfully
embedded in the head.
The
statue is ten stories high, and if the statue stood upright, it
would be almost eye to eye with the Statue of Liberty. The Buddha
is so enormous that it is alleged that 100 monks could sit on one
foot. Measuring 71 meters tall (233 feet), the statue has a
symmetrical posture, creating a gracefully relaxed image. Its head
is 15 meters (50 feet) high, its shoulders 28 meters (92 feet)
wide, and its smallest toenail can accommodate a seated
person. Each eyebrow alone is 5.5 meters (18 feet) while its
nose is 6 meters (20 feet) long. A large pair of ears, measuring
seven meters (23 feet), is capable of holding two people
inside.
Several
drainage passages hidden inside the Buddha's hair, collar, chest,
and back of the ears, have prevented the statue from serious
erosion and weathering over the millennia. The drainage system of
the Giant Buddha is a complex system made up of hidden gutters and
channels, which carry away rainwater and keep the inner parts dry.
This is why the great Buddha has survived intact up until modern
times. Compared to when it was initially completed, the statue
looks quite different from how it looks today. It once sat in a
grand 13-story wooden pavilion which protected the carving from
erosion. However, the pavilion was eventually destroyed at the end
of the Ming Dynasty, exposing the statue to the
elements.
The
Leshan Giant Buddha statue is said to have been built to calm the
turbulent waters that plagued passing boats and killed many people
each year. So, in the Tang Dynasty, a monk named Hai Tong, decided
to carve a giant statue beside the river, hoping it would appease
the river gods and save more local people’s lives. With this
belief, the Hai Tong Monk begged for 20 years to acquire enough
funds to begin his work. According to legend, when some local
government officials wanted to get large amounts of money from Hai
Tong, he said they could have his eyeball but not the money raised
for the Buddha statue. When government funding for the project was
threatened, the monk is said to have gouged out his own eyes to
show his sincerity and devotion to the cause. The officials were
scared away, and Hai Tong saved the money and started the project
in 713 AD. The project was half finished when he passed away and
two of his disciples were left to continue the work. The project
was finally completed 90 years later by the local governor in 803
AD. Since so much stone was removed from the cliff face and
deposited into the river below during the construction, the
currents of the rivers were, in fact, altered by the statue, making
the waters safe for passing ships.
The Leshan
Giant Buddha: A Museum of Buddhist Carvings
As the
biggest carved stone Buddha in the world, Dafo is featured in
Chinese poetry, song and story. For the ancient Chinese, building a
statue of this size and stature was a way of thanking their gods.
Even after its completion, people continued to carve Buddhas, small
ones, all around this massive statue. On the cliffs beside the
Giant Buddha, there are two carved stone warriors in battle robes,
holding a halberd (a combined spear and battle-ax). Besides
the Giant Buddha, are thousands of other carved Buddhas, making the
mountain a museum of Buddhist carvings. Han Dynasty cliff tombs
have also been found at the site and there is an onsite temple and
shrine dedicated to Hai Tong near the Buddha. Mortuary artifacts
have been found here as well making this area particularly
important for archaeologists.
Today,
erosion is the biggest threat to the Leshan Giant Buddha’s
survival. The statue was nearly destroyed by the erosion of wind
and rain before 1963, when the Chinese government began repair work
and protection. In 1996, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO
inscribed the Mount Emei Scenic area and the Leshan Giant Buddha
Scenic Area on their World Heritage List as a mixed cultural and
natural property of the world. Since 2001, it has been rumored that
the equivalent of over 40 million U.S. dollars has been spent to
keep it intact.