This photo is part of a weekly travel themed photo contest Travel theme: Mountains – my entries for other weeks can be found here.
The Giant Buddha at Le Shan (乐山大佛) is carved directly out of the mountainside overlooking the river. It is located in the southern part of the Chinese province of Sichuan, and together with Mount Emei is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). The seated Buddha is so large that humans are dwarfed by a single toe of the Buddha. This photo was taken about halfway down the perilous walkway carved into the cliff-face next to the Buddha.
Although Le Shan is rather short compared to many mountains, and the Chinese character “shān 山” can refer to hills as well as mountains, Le Shan is typically translated into English as a “mountain” and therefore will be considered one for the Mountain theme of the travel photo challenge. Indeed it is a mountain of great historical, religious, and artistic importance, and still attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims every day. I had to wait in line for two hours before I could walk down the steep, uneven, and narrow stairway that lead from the Buddha’s head to his feet, and I was told that I wasn’t even there during a “busy” time.
