Leshan Giant Buddha- World's Largest Buddha Statue Carved into a Cliff

The Leshan Giant Buddha is the world's largest stone Buddha statue located in the Sichuan province of China, near the city of Leshan. The monumental structure was first carved out of a cliff where the Minjiang, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers meet during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) and continues to stand tall today, proving to be a tourist attraction for spiritual followers and art enthusiasts.

The giant figure was originally adorned with a thirteen-story, gold-plated, wooden structure meant to serve as a sort of shelter from extreme weather conditions. But it has inevitably weathered down over the years. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Gia…] Photo courtesy: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Ch… http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=53477785…