Big Buddha of Leshan
The Big Buddha of Leshan ( Chinese 樂山大佛 / 乐山大佛 , Pinyin Leshan Dafo ) is the world's largest sculpture of Buddha made of stone . It was carved out of a rock at the confluence of the Min Jiang , Dadu and Qingyi rivers not far from the city of Leshan , in the southern part of Sichuan Province in China , during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) . The Buddha looks out over Mount Emei Shan , one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains , as the rivers spread out at their feet.
The Buddha has been on the list of monuments of the People's Republic of China since 1982 . In 1996 he was with the Emei Shan in the list of UNESCO world heritage added.
History and meaning
Construction began in 713 under the direction of the Chinese monk Haitong. The latter hoped to calm the troubled waters, which impaired navigation on the river. When he saw the financing of the project in jeopardy, he is said to have torn his eyes out as a sign of his piety and sincerity. His students completed the work 90 years later. Apparently, this huge construction company led to huge amounts of stone being removed from the rock and deposited in the river, which changed its course and made it safe for passing ships.
The sculpture represents Maitreya , who is considered the Buddha of the future and great coming world teacher in Buddhism . Characteristic of Buddhist art in the countries of northern Buddhism (Tibet, Korea, China, Japan), Maitreya is shown in a sitting posture ( Sanskrit : Bhadrāsana , "lucky seat "). His hands are on his knees.
Dimensions
The sculpture is 71 meters high, 28 meters wide at the shoulders and one person can easily fit on its small toenail. Seen from the river, the surrounding mountain range is said to resemble a sleeping Buddha, with the sculpture in the place of the heart. This has led, among other things, to the local idiom: "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain."
Damage from acid rain
Acid rain causes the sculpture to suffer significant damage in recent years. This is caused by air pollution from coal-fired power plants. The traces of the rain are clearly visible and the painting on the Buddha has faded. The problem of eroding cultural assets, especially those made from sandstone, is not limited to the Buddha statue in Leshan.
gallery
View of the Buddha from the water
Head of the buddha
View of the Buddha from below
See also
Movie
- The great Buddha of Leshan. (OT: Giant Buddha. ) Documentary, Singapore, 2009, 44:30 min., Written and directed by: Steve Talley, production: NHNZ , Discovery Channel , series: The Seven Wonders of China, German first broadcast: November 12, 2009 on Discovery Channel , Summary of Discovery Channel.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area. Accessed August 17, 2017 .
- ^ Louis Frédéric : Buddhism - gods, pictures and sculptures . Éditions Flammarion, Paris 2003, ISBN 2-08-021001-7 , pp. 48 .
- ↑ Edward Wong: outlasting Dynasties, Now Emerging From soot. In: New York Times . May 17, 2014, accessed on August 16, 2017 .
- ↑ Christina Larson: China Takes First Steps In the Fight Against Acid Rain. In: Yale Environment 360. October 28, 2010, accessed August 16, 2017 .
Heritage: Great Wall of China (1987) | Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing ( Forbidden City ) and Shenyang (1987) | Mogao Grottoes (1987) | Qin Shihuangdis Mausoleum (1987) | Peking man's site in Zhoukoudian (1987) | Summer Residence and Eight Outer Temples near Chengde (1994) | Confucius Temple, Cemetery and Residence of the Kong Family in Qufu (1994) | Daoist shrines in the mountains of Wudang (1994) | Potala Palace (1994), Jokhang Temple (2000) and Norbulingka Palace (2001) | Lu Shan National Park (1996) | Lijiang Old Town (1997) | Old City of Pingyao (1997) | Classical Gardens of Suzhou (1997) | Yiheyuan Summer Palace (1998) | Temple of Heaven with imperial sacrificial altar in Beijing (1998) | Rock sculptures by Also (1999) | Mount Qingcheng Mountains and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (2000) | Xidi and Hongcun Villages (2000) | Longmen Grottoes (2000) | Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (2000) | Yungang Grottoes (2001) | Capitals and Tombs of the Ancient Kingdom of Koguryo (2004) | Historic Center of Macau (2005) | Yinxu (2006) | Diaolou towers and villages in Kaiping (2007) | Tulou loam buildings in Fujian (2008) | Wutai Shan (2009) | Historical Monuments of Dengfeng (2010) | Cultural Landscape West Lake near Hangzhou (2011) | Xanadu Site (2012) | Hani rice terraces in Yunnan (2013) | Silk Roads: The Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Road Network (2014) | Kaiserkanal (2014) | Tusi sites (2015) | Petroglyphs at Huashan and the Zuo Jiang River (2016) | Kulangsu: a Historic International Settlement (2017) | Liangzhu City Archaeological Ruins (2019)
Natural heritage: Jiuzhaigou Valley Landscape Park (1992) | Lime sinter terrace landscape Huanglong (1992) | Wulingyuan Landscape Park (1992) | Protection zones of the three parallel rivers of Yunnan (2003) | Sichuan Panda Nature Reserve (2006) | Karst landscapes in southern China (2007, 2014) | Sanqing Shan National Park (2008) | Danxia Shan at Shaoguan (2010) | Chengjiang Fossil Site (2012) | Tian Shan Mountains in Xinjiang (2013) | Shennongjia Forest Area (2016) | Qinghai Hoh Xil (2017) | Migratory bird sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea - Gulf of Bohai (Phase I) (2019)
Cultural / Natural Heritage: Tai Shan Mountain Region (1987) | Huang Shan Mountains (1990) | Mountain landscape of Emei Shan and Leshan Big Buddha (1996) | Wuyi Mountains (1999) | Fanjingshan (2018)
Coordinates: 29 ° 32 ′ 50 ″ N , 103 ° 46 ′ 9 ″ E