World’s largest Buddha statue develops cracks
In the southwestern Sichuan province of China, the world’s largest Buddha statue will undergo four months scrutiny and survey. The extensive exercise is being conducted for the repair of the statue.
The 71 meter high statue of Buddha in Leshan city has a crack in the chest and stomach part of the statue and it has been broken in someplaces. The management committee of the Leshan Buddha area gave this information. China’s official news agency Xinhua has reported that during the investigation process, starting on October 8, the major part of Buddha’s statue will be partially or completely covered.
According to the news agency Bhasha, the statue will be examined under the supervision of dozens of cultural mementos. In this, technology like 3D laser scanning, infrared thermal imaging will be used and drone will also be conducting aerial surveys.
The construction of this statue of Buddha took more than 90 years. It was started in the year 713 during the rule of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This statue, declared as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, has been investigated and repaired several times.
