I still remember
the first time I saw a picture of the Giant Buddha on the internet.
It was so surreal, that I’ve made a promise to myself, that one
day, I would visit this place, doesn’t matter how. As a matter of
fact 'this place' is located in China in the city of Leshan, 160 km
from Chengdu. And part of the mysticism disappeared when we found out
we could go by high speed train. But nothing would prepare us for
what we would find there: for better or for worst. Along the
majestic statue sitting peacefully at the confluence of the Minjiang,
Dadu and Qingyi rivers, a flood of Chinese tourists, like we never
seen before, took over the small staircases that leads to the
Buddha's feet. That’s the ultimate trial for any Buddhist monk: how
to maintain the calm and patience in the face of unbridled tourist
euphoria.
The construction of
the giant Buddha began in the year 713 AD led by a Chinese monk named
Hai Tong. Back in those days, numerous boat accidents caused by the
turbulent waters at the confluence of three major rivers, troubled
the life and the economy of the local population, which attributed
these disasters to the presence of a water spirit. What could be
better to calm down such a spirit, than the largest Buddha statue the
world ever seen? The monk hardly knew the stones removed during the
excavation would eventually reduce the water flow, ultimately
facilitating the passage of boats. Unfortunately Hai Tong did not
live to see the finished project, which took 90 years to be
completed.
At 7:30AM we caught
the bullet train in Chengdu and in less than an hour, we were already
in Leshan. Right at the exit of the train station we took bus 3 that
left us at the entrance of the Complex. Admission was 90 CNY (15 USD)
per person, including the access to the Scenic Park, with more than
30 temples. Surprisingly, after 10 minutes of moderate ascend we were
already at Buddha’s head. Once we’ve got there, we didn’t know
exactly where to go as there were no signages in English. Since we
had been warned about the possible chaos due to the large number of
tourists, after a quick visit to Lingyun
Temple, we
decided to get in the line to the circuit that would take us to
Buddha's feet. That's right, first you get up, and them down, and up
again. And here is where trouble started.
The first hour
waiting in line was okay, as the queue was organized by metal fences.
But once you start the descent, there is no more line, and everyone
begins to push and shove their way through. Wait a minute, where was
the fire? And there we were, Maxi and I, two canned sardines in the
midst of a crowd of rude Chinese and their respective selfie sticks.
Eventually, after nearly two hours of hard time, we reached the
bottom. The view was amazing. Standing from Buddha’s feet you can
really sense the grandeur of the monument which, with its 71 meters
high, is the world's largest Buddha sculpture.
It’s clear that
some hardcore restoration work has been going on, especially on the
face. It has been said that the statue was in pretty bad shape due to
high pollution levels that came with the development of the region.
Thanks to the original water drainage system, consisting of hidden
gutters and channels running behind the head, arms and ears, the
Buddha didn’t deteriorated even further over the past 1300 years.
But what really made
our trip though, were the Scenic Park and the beautiful pathway
towards Wuyou Temple.
In short, Greenery Mountains jam packed with ancient pagodas,
monasteries, caves and old bridges.
The walk was long and uphill, but totally worth the effort, as we could experience a peace and serenity that we haven’t found at the Giant Buddha. No wonder this was the first place where Buddhism was established in China. The Hall of Arhats was the highlight, with its hundreds of statues of Buddha Sakyamuni disciples.
The walk was long and uphill, but totally worth the effort, as we could experience a peace and serenity that we haven’t found at the Giant Buddha. No wonder this was the first place where Buddhism was established in China. The Hall of Arhats was the highlight, with its hundreds of statues of Buddha Sakyamuni disciples.
1. Try to get
there as early as possible, and go straight to the queue that leads
to Buddha's feet. Do not worry about the temples, as you can get
back to the starting point after seeing the statue. But if you do
arrive during peak hours, we saw an Italian group descending by the
exit staircase (at Buddha’s right side). I do not know if they
managed to get to the bottom or were stopped by security, but we
found an excellent idea to skip the crowds.
2. Reserve at
least a full day for this trip and be sure save enough time to visit
the entire complex.
3. You can also
see the Buddha from the river, and have a panoramic view and shots
with other sculptures and the guardian figures, that are virtually
impossible to see from the mountain. The boat ride costs about 70
CNY and, in our opinion, seems like a tourist trap. The current is
so strong that the boats cannot stop for more than a few minutes in
front of the statue. Nonetheless is still an alternative for those
who want to avoid the crowds, the steep climbs, narrow staircases
and the nasty queue.
4. High speed
train tickets have to be booked with at least one day in advance.
Otherwise it is also possible to return by an intercity bus, which
takes approximately 3 hours. Buses leave from Xiaoba
Bus Station in Leshan direction Xinnanmen Bus Station in Chengdu,
every 30 minutes.
Was it worth it?
Find out at the video below:
it is always amazing to read about your take on different corners of the world. it has deeply motivated me to get on foot too. keep us updated
ReplyDeleteyes agree. We need some time to stop over to see around the details on the structure and other things Small Yoga Buddha Statue
ReplyDelete