The largest carved stone Buddha in the world, I didn’t visit Leshan’s Big Buddha the first time I was in Chengdu because the sky had that China-haze going on. On this round, with a day to kill before I really wanted to head to Jiuzhaigou, I decided to give it a go.
Leshan Big Buddha
Built to help calm the flooding rivers of the three rivers that converge at its feet, the statue was completed around 990 and was at the time the tallest statue in the world. Though the sky was about the same level of haze as Chengdu, there was at least some exploring to be done in the area around the Buddha that most of the tourists in the area didn’t bother with.
Buddha head. Note the people on the walkway to the left of the head, for some idea of how big the statue really is.And of course, the requisite pose with Big Buddha.Aside from the Big Buddha, Leshan also has a number of temples and a bit of green space to explore outside of the city.Though all of this is included in the Big Buddha ticket, most tourists seem to hit the statue and areas immediately surrounding it but not to explore any further.Though some of the temples are currently under construction……several seem to have been simply abandoned and ignored.These, of course, are generally my favorites.Mainly because they make me feel like I’m somewhere I’m not supposed to be.Along with the occasional fish feeding frenzy……goes the occasional human feeding oddity.And with disuse comes other residents.Finally, at the end of the day, a sweet bridge to the last temple in the park.And also, this guy.
