Mystery Wonders
Leshan Giant Buddha

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The Leshan Giant Buddha is a statue of Maitreya (a Bodhisattva usually represented as a very stout monk with a broad smile on his face and with his naked breast and paunch exposed to view) in sitting posture. The Buddha is located to the east of Leshan City, Sichuan Province, at the confluence of three rivers, namely, Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River. The statue makes itself the most renowned scenic spot in that city. In December, 1996, the location of the Buddha was included by UNESCO on the list of the World Heritage sites. Begun in the year 713 in the Tang Dynasty, and finished in the year 803, the statue took people more than 90 years to carve. During these years, thousands of workers had expended their efforts and wisdom on the project. As the biggest carved stone Buddha in the world, the Giant Buddha is featured in poetry, song and story. Facing the river, the Buddha has symmetrical posture and looks which have been beautifully captured in its solemn stillness. It is 71 meters (about 233 feet) high, and has 8.3-meter-long (about 27 feet) fingers. The 9-meter-wide (about 30 feet) instep is big enough for one hundred people to sit on and the 24-meter-wide (about 79 feet) shoulder is large enough to be a basketball playground.


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It was a monk called Hai Tong who initiated the project. His concern was for the safety of the long-suffering people who earned their living around the confluence of the three rivers. Tempestuous waters ensured that boat accidents were numerous and the simple people put the disaster down to the presence of a water spirit. So Hai Tong decided to carve a statue beside the river thinking that the Buddha would bring the water spirit under control. Besides, the fallen stones dropped during the carving would reduce the water force there. After 20 years' begging alms, he finally accumulated enough money for the plan. When some local government officials had designs on tempting this amount of money, Hai Tong said that they could get his eyeball but not the money raised for the Buddha. After Hai Tong dug out his eyeball, these officials ran away scared. The project was half done when Hai Tong passed away, and two of his disciples continued the work. After a total of 90 years' hard work, the project was finally completed. The charm of the Buddha lies not only in its size but also in its architectural artistry. There are 1,021 buns in the Buddha's coiled hair. These have been skillfully embedded in the head. The skill is so wonderful that the 1,021 buns seem integral to the whole. Another architectural highlight is the drainage system. This system is made up of some hidden gutters and channels, scattered on the head and arms, behind the ears and in the clothes. This system, which helps displace rainwater and keep the inner part dry, plays an important part in the protection of the Buddha. The large pair of ears, each seven meters (about 23 feet) long, is made of wood and is decorated by mud on the surface. For craftsmen of thousands of years ago, it was not easy to fix these to the stone head. Head of Leshan Giant BuddhaHaving such a long history and such worldwide fame, the renovation of the Buddha has received extensive attention both at home and abroad. The Buddha was nearly destroyed by the erosion of wind and rain before 1963 when the Chinese government began the repairing work. At present, the maintenance work is in progress under the instruction of experts from UNESCO.




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Giant Stone Balls
Underwater Cancun
Antarctica
Tutankhamun Mummy
Valley of Love Ireland
Yellowstone
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Acropolis of Athens
Lost Heracleion City
El Chupacabra
Bagan Myanmar
Paracas Skulls
Zhangye Danxia
Angkor Wat
The Ancient City of Mes Aynak
Katmai Crater Lake
Ark of the Covenant
Lencois Mranhenses Brasil
Parícutin
The Great Wall of China
Stone Forest
Pillars of weathering
Reed Flute Cave
Aurora
Sigiriya Sri Lanka
Sailing Stones
Ayers Rock
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Lighthouse of Alexandria
Mount Nemrut
Vimana Flying Machine
Ancient Atomic Bomb India
Colosseum Rome Italy
Fly Geyser
3,800 year old mummy Xiahoe
Iron Pillar Delhi
Victoria Falls
Blue Neon Waves
Tunguska Explosion Russia
K2 Pakistan
Plitvice Lakes
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Lost Kingdom Of Cleopatra
Blue Belize Hole
Nasca Lines
Black Hole
Shroud of Turin
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
200 yo mummy not dead
Bermuda Triangle
Banaue Rice Terraces
Sahara Desert
Taj Mahal
GREAT SPHINX OF GIZA
Machu Picchu
Memnon Colossi
Mount Rushmore
Leshan Giant Buddha China
Underwater Museum Cancún Mexico
Twin Town
Famous Petra
Area 51
Pamukkale
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Kukulkan Pyramid Chichen Itza
Angel Falls
Borobudur Temple
KAMPUNG KUANTAN FIREFLIES
Kittiwake Shipwreck
Hitler fled to Argentina
Natural Zhangjiaje
Great Pyramid of Giza
Easter Island Secrets
Underwater Pyramids of Cuba
Terracotta Army
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Timbuktu
Everglades Park
Waterfalls Rio Tulija
Grand Canyon
The Wonder Cave
Largest Crab Ever
Door to Hell
Crystal Underwater Pyramid Cuba
Santorini
Valley of the Kings
Pompeii After Eruption
Arizona Wave
Wonder Rock
Stonehenge
Matterhorn Mountain
Colossus of Rhodes
Two Headed Snake
Red Rain
Columnar Basalt
Spontaneous combustion










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