Massive cliff Buddha in China's Gansu Province (Not the cliff Buddha mentioned in the article)
In 2005 a Chinese farmer discovered that Meng Mountain in the Shanxi province had more to offer than just coal when he accidentally stumbled across a gigantic likeness of Buddha carved into the side of one of the cliffs. But the 1,459-year-old statue, which was determined to be the oldest cliff-carved Buddha in all of China, was in danger of collapse. Now, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, China is forking over $10.8 million to stabilize the mountain and save the statue.
Shanxi province produces almost a quarter of China’s coal and the industry has wreaked environmental havoc upon the area. But locals hope the Buddha might turn their region in to a tourist destination. So when concerns were raised about the dangers mining work posed to the Buddha on Meng Mountain, officials made a move. By 2007 seven coal mines in the area were closed.
But fears that the abandoned mines running beneath the heavy statue had weakened the stability of the mountain have persisted. And now, in order to save the ancient Buddha from collapsing into the abandoned tunnels, China’s Ministry of Land Resources will spend close to $11-million stabilizing the mountain slops and sealing the cracks on the statue.
According to BBC News, Shanxi province is also home to the cliff Buddhas at Yungang, outside the city of Datong, another major coal-mining center.
[Via: BBC News]
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