Mengshan Giant Buddha – Carved About 1,500 Years Ago

The Mengshan Giant Buddha (蒙山大佛), constructed during the Tianbao era of the Northern Qi Dynasty, is approximately 1,500 years old. It is the largest cliff-carved Buddha and Buddha pavilion from the Northern Dynasties of China. Originally part of the Kaifa Temple on Mount Meng, this grand Buddha has seen visits from several prominent historical figures, including Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu Zetian, Emperor Li Keyong of Later Tang, and Emperor Gaozu of Later Han.

In the late Yuan Dynasty, the Mengshan Buddha suffered destruction. Rediscovered in 1980, the Buddha’s head was missing, and the body was buried and severely weathered. The current head is a modern reconstruction. The Buddha stands approximately 30 meters from the base of its legs to the neck. Including the head, the original height is estimated to have been around 46 meters, making it the largest and oldest known cliff-carved statue of Shakyamuni Buddha with a verified date of creation.

In front of the Buddha is a platform with remnants of a building, including doorposts and ground beams. To the north of these ruins is a turtle-shaped stele base without the stele.

On the east side outside the Buddha niche, there is a cliff inscription and remnants of two caves. The inscription is rectangular, 2.50 meters high and 1.85 meters wide, carved into the cliff face, with text now mostly illegible but believed to be Buddhist scriptures. The smaller cave, about 1 meter in both height and width, has been damaged by rock collapse. The larger cave, east of the small one, is rectangular with a width of 2.97 meters, a depth of 2.99 meters, and a height of 2.94 meters, featuring a pyramidal roof. The doorway is 1.74 meters high, 0.97 meters wide, and 0.52 meters deep, with carved stone columns on either side adorned with decorative brackets and beams.

Basic Information

Location and Transportation

The Mengshan Giant Buddha is located in Sidao Village, Jinsheng Township, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. To get there, you can take bus 58, 329, or Y3 and get off at Mengshan Giant Buddha Stop (蒙山大佛景区).