In the province of China, Sichuan, there is a statue of Buddha, which, due to its impressive size, is visible for tens of kilometers. The height of this statue is 71 meters. Chinese sculpture is not only the tallest statue of Buddha on the planet, but for a whole millennium it has been the tallest sculptural composition in the world. The Buddha is depicted in a seated form, his head is facing the sacred mountain opposite, his feet are located above the river. But the most interesting thing is that the monk who built the sculpture wanted to tame the noisy river. And he partially succeeded.
The statue of Buddha Maitreya was built for 90 years, construction began in 713. When the construction work was completed, the image of the Buddha himself was not visible because of the temple, which covered the statue itself in front and had 13 floors. And this temple stood right up to the 17th century, until it collapsed due to a fire. Then the 70-meter Buddha Maitreya opened to his eyes.
The ancient builders were sure that everything divine should certainly be depicted in very large sizes. And Maitreya is the Buddha of the future, who, according to Buddhist teachings, should appear on Earth in an era of prosperity and bliss. He is loved and revered by all schools of Buddhism.
This one of the most ancient sculptures of the Buddha is located at the confluence of three rivers, where, due to the strong flow of water, the most powerful and dangerous whirlpools are formed. And in order to calm such a turbulent flow of rivers and thereby enable ships to safely cross the river, a monk named Hai Tonga decided to erect a giant statue of Buddha. But since the construction of a huge image of the supreme deity in the rock is a very expensive business, the monk had to wander for some time and collect money.
Alas, Hai Tun did not live to see the end of his large-scale construction - he died when the statue was ready only at knee level. Although even then it was clear that the monk was able to fulfill his initial task. During construction, the workers threw pieces of stones directly into the water, thereby partially filling the water streams of the rivers. And so it happened that Buddha Maitreya was still able to tame the stormy river flows.
Promotional video:
There was also a story with representatives of the authorities who wanted to take half of the funds raised by the monk, offering him assistance in the construction. Hai Tun promised to gouge his own eye out if this money was demanded of him. When the extortionists came the second time, the monk fulfilled his promise. After that, he was left alone, and after his death, the provincial government even decided to continue the work of the monk.
Now an almost endless stream of tourists is coming to the statue. On the rocks themselves, hieroglyphs and images of bodhisattvas are carved in large numbers, some, however, are slightly spoiled by vandals. At the very top of the hill there is a temple, which is also worth entering - there are beautiful sculptures of saints inside. The sculpture is listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site. The cost of an entrance ticket to the park, where the Buddha stands, there is a pond with fish, sculptures and several abandoned temples - about $ 13. At the ear of the Buddha, there is an observation deck with a gorgeous view of the surroundings.