The Big Buddha of Le Shan Lè shān dà fó
The main attraction in the city of Le Shan is the world’s largest Buddha. The world’s largest buddha is outside of a very large buddhist temple, the are more closely resembles a grotto or a park (or some combination of the two). The entire area is unbelievable from the grottoes to the statues that have been partially eroded outside. This temple is teeming with historical and religious significance that radiates from every statue and wall carving you set your eyes on.
There are two entrance tickets that can be purchased at the ticket office in the front of the temple:
- The Standard Ticket- 90 RMB. This is the basic entrance ticket that will allow you access to the temple and all of the site-seeing areas
- The Cruise Ticket- 90 RMB + 70 RMB. This ticket will give you access to all of the same areas as the standard ticket plus it will allow you to take the boat tour on the river that runs in from of the world’s largest Buddha. It will cost an additional 70 RMB on top of the 90 RMB so it will come out to a total of 160 RMB.
Which ticket should to buy?
The standard entrance ticket is all that you’ll need to enjoy the temple. On the other hand once you reach the world’s largest Buddha you may regret not getting the boat tour ticket. There are two main reasons why.
The first is because of the extremely long line that you will have to cue up in to even see the Buddha. Be sure to make friends with the person in front of you because you’re going to be seeing a lot of him/her. The line starts at the top of the mountain near the head of the Buddha and works it way down to the feet of the Buddha (by the river). To get from the top of the mountain (the head) to the feet of the buddha should take 5 minutes. However, due to the unfathomably large amount of people that are there it will take approximately 1 1/2 hours! In my experience it was raining almost the whole time, but that didn’t deter anyone from lining up. So, by taking the boat cruise you can circumvent this line. You may have to wait for space on the boat but that will be no where near the amount of time of 1 1/2 hours.
The second reason the boat tours may be a good idea is because they can take you to an appropriate distance and angle where you will be able to take the perfect picture of the world’s largest Buddha. While on land you can take good pictures of the Buddha but it will pale in comparison to one taken from the river boats. Additionally, the boat will drop you off at the dock (located near the feet of the Buddha) afterwards. This will give you more time to admire the Buddha from a close up point of view. So, if you are looking to take the perfect picture of this wonder of the world the boat tour will be your best option.
The Grottoes
The Grottoes in the Big Buddha Temple are almost as impressive as the big Buddha itself. There is so much historical and cultural significance within those walls. There are several halls and rooms in the grottoes that are interconnected. Each room appears to be more impressive than the last. For those that have an extensive knowledge of the Buddhist religion this is definitely the place for you.
The grottoes often have tour groups passing through, which may disturb and moments of tranquility or pictures you may want to take. But with the exception of the tour groups that will be conducting slow speed chases with you, it is a very harmonious place to be.
The World’s Largest Buddha
This will make any hardships encountered on the journey well worth it. This is the main attraction in a place that appears to be full of main attractions. It is quite the site to be seen and highly recommended for a visit.
The sight of this jaw dropping Buddha will leave you speechless. However, the line to see the world’s largest Buddha will leave you swearing underneath your breath. What you may not see in the pictures above is the 1 1/2 hour long line that needed to be cued up in to even get to the feet of the Buddha. The stairway that is built into the mountain aside the Buddha is very thin and when hundreds of people all want to go to the same place it gets quite congested. While this does take away a bit from the overall experience, the miraculous effect that the Giant Buddha has is still felt.
I personally recommend seeing all of the statues, temples and grottoes before going to see the world’s largest Buddha. Besides, the world’s largest Buddha is located in the back of the park. But the world’s largest Buddha will also serve as the climax and be the most memorable thing that you see there.
How to get there?
Le Shan is about 2 to 2 1/2 hours away from Cheng Du. So, the best way to do this is to head down there for a day trip from Cheng Du. From Cheng Du you will need to catch a bus down there, inquire with the employees from your place of lodging as to pick up times and locations.
Another option would be if you went to E Mei Mountain first and departed from there (in the morning) to return to Cheng Du. Le Shan is in between E Mei Mountain and Cheng Du (closer to E Mei Mountain). It would take 30 minutes for the bus to take you from E Mei Mountain to Le Shan.
How long should you spend here?
Plan to make a day out of this trip. Most of the time will be spent on the bus to and from Le Shan, but it will be 100% worth it in the end.
International Kev 