Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71 metre tall stone statue, built among 713 and 803, depicting Maitreya. It is carved out of a cliff face of Cretaceous purple bed sandstones that lies at the confluence of the Min River and Dadu River inside the southern a part of Sichuan province in Leshan, China. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing underneath its feet. It is the biggest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the international and it's far through a ways the tallest pre-modern statue inside the world.

Construction started in 713 AD, led by means of a Chinese monk named Hai Tong. He was hoping that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the delivery vessels travelling down the river. When funding for the mission was threatened, he's said to have gouged out his very own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. After his dying, but, the development changed into caught because of inadequate investment. About 70 years later, jiedushi Wei Gao decided to sponsor the undertaking and the construction changed into completed by means of Hai Tong's disciples in 803.