The Big Buddha

We make our way to Leshan to visit Dafo, the Big Buddha, who was carved from a cliff in 700AD. At 71m tall he is the world's largest Buddhist sculpture. He sits at the confluence of 3 rivers in order to protect the area from the dangers of these wild waters. In fact the rubble created by the carving reduced the danger to shipping and lessened the risk of flooding.

This is a major tourist attraction and when we arrive on Saturday afternoon the whole site is heaving with Chinese tourist groups and there are stals big and small selling tourist bait.

 

Photo 1 of woman selling citrus fruit and flowers

 

We follow the crowds up the steps to the top of the site, passing the Buddha's 2 guardians on the way: a dragon carved into the rock at a spring and a white tiger.

 

Photo 2 of dragon guardian

Photo 3 of white tiger guardian

 

We come out into a square where there are railings to organise the enormous queue of people waiting to file down the stairway to the feet of the Buddha.

 

Photo 4 of people going down to the feet of the Buddha

 

We join the crowd to take a look at Dafo from the top, where we are level with his head.

 

Photos 5 and 6 of Dafo's head from both sides

Photo 7 of me

 

Some of us decide not to join the queue to descend to his feet, but try and escape the crowds by looking at the other parts of the site, which is pretty extensive, with Buddhist temples, statues, gardens and tea houses. We see the cave which is where Haitong, the monk who instigated the carving, was reputed to have lived.

 

Photo 8 of Katie, Ann and Peggy in Haitong's cave.

Photo 9 of statue of Haitong

 

A little further along there is a fairly quiet park with fish pond and pagoda.

 

Photo 10 of fish pond and pagoda.

 

We come across steps to tower with a plaque in English and Chinese which explains what we are visiting. We love the slight mistranslation:

'Dongpo Tower was built in the tenth century AD and it ever flourished and downfalled. Su Dong Po who is a famous writer in Song Dynasty, ever read book here so it was named Dongpo Book Tower…..You may look three rivers far away and listens to Buddhist sound, and a pool to wash China ink and Quingying Pavilion are in front of it. Su Dong Po ever washed writing brush, played music instrument and listened to great wave here.'

 

Photo 11 of plaque

Photo 12 of 'pool to wash china ink'

 

A bit further on we come to a fabulous Buddhist Temple where incense fills the air and monks are chanting.

 

Photos 13 – 16 of Buddhist Temple

Photo of 17 a grandmother, mother and baby visiting the temple