Buddhist Statues at Liushentai on Yilu Mountain

Buddhist Statues at Liushentai on Yilu Mountain

The Buddhist statues on Liushentai of Yilu Mountain are a protected cultural relic site of Jiangsu Province.

Commonly known as Luoshentai or Liushentai, the Buddhist statues on Yilu Mountain are a group of stone carvings from the Tang Dynasty. These statues are located on the northern side of the western peak of Yilu Mountain, south of Gongzhuang Village in Yilu Township, Guanyun County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province.

The statues were damaged many years ago. The entire carving is situated on a cliff about 5 meters high and 10 meters wide on the southwestern side of Liushentai, comprising a total of 42 statues divided into two groups. One group is located about 1 meter below the southwestern peak of Liushentai inside a natural cave of approximately 2 square meters that has been slightly modified. On the eastern wall of the cave, there are six high-relief statues, five of which are seated Buddha figures and one is a standing guardian figure, all about 50 centimeters tall, carved within a niche that is 0.6 meters high and about 2 meters wide. The two statues on the northern side are badly damaged and unrecognizable; the four on the southern side are better preserved, and their facial expressions and postures can still be discerned. These six statues are commonly referred to as the Six Deities. The other group is located 1 meter below the cave on the cliff, spread across an area of about 5 square meters, totaling 36 statues. Most are too damaged to be clearly identified, but they can be seen to have been carved in niches of varying sizes, with each niche containing between three to eight statues. The statues are carved in high relief, some seated, some standing, and some with lotus pedestals. Seven niches are completely destroyed, leaving only halos and pedestals. In 1994, an investigation and cleaning of the surrounding area was carried out, and at the base of the statue cliff, a Song Dynasty brick altar and roof tiles and ceramic fragments in the style of the Tang and Song periods were discovered, indicating that this was a cave temple site from the Tang and Song Dynasties. The Buddhist statues at Liushentai share the same artistic style as those found at Qixia Mountain in Nanjing and Yunlong Mountain in Xuzhou, representing Buddhist art relics from the height of the Tang Dynasty. Chemical grouting reinforcement was carried out in November 1994. In April 1995, it was designated as part of the fourth batch of cultural relic protection units in Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Protected Cultural Relic Units in Jiangsu Province