Thousand Buddha Temple

Thousand Buddha Temple

The predecessor of Thousand Buddha Temple was Yuanhua Temple, established by eminent monks Yu Falan and his disciple Yu Fakai. It is another cave temple built around the same time as the No. 1 Southern Buddha.

Yuanhua Temple began carving caves and creating the Thousand Buddhas in the third year of the Qi Yongming era (485 AD) — one year before Monk Senghu arrived at Shicheng. After the caves were completed, the temple was renamed Thousand Buddha Temple. It was destroyed during the Huichang era. It was rebuilt in the third year of the Kaiyun era of the Later Jin Dynasty (946 AD). In the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Qibao Temple, and then reverted to the name Thousand Buddha Temple in the 15th year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1382 AD).

Nestled within lush forests and bamboo groves on the mountainside, Thousand Buddha Temple faces the cliff to the south and houses two interconnected caves of different sizes.

The large cave’s stone walls are divided into 10 sections — four on the east and six on the west. Each section contains a 10x11 grid, with one Buddha per grid. The middle nine grids of each section are merged into one larger grid housing a bigger Buddha statue. Each section thus has 104 Buddha figures, totaling 1,040 across all 10 sections. Flanking them are two guardian bodhisattvas standing atop inverted lotus pedestals. Though their outer surfaces have been modified, the original forms are now visible again after the added layers peeled away. With silk ribbons draping over their shoulders and crossing at their chests, and some wearing wide-sleeved, flowing robes reminiscent of the Southern Dynasties style, these figures preserve the sculptural aesthetics of that era. Southern Dynasties cave carvings are relatively rare in southern China, making the cultural value of Thousand Buddha Temple exceptionally high — comparable to the sculptures of the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes.

The small cave contains 35 stone statues. Scholars believe these represent “the 35 Buddhas who preached under Shakyamuni, later transformed into 53 Buddhas ascending successively through the three kalpas, hence also called the Thousand Buddhas.” As inscribed on the bhurja leaves and embodied in this temple’s statues, the carvings embody the Buddhas of past, present, and future, covering all ten directions, symbolizing the presence of all Buddhas.

The Buddha statues of Thousand Buddha Temple have been included in the Chinese Encyclopedia and the jointly published World Art Series: Northern and Southern Dynasties Volume by China and Japan.

Related Legend: The eminent monk Boyisguang saw that this place, with its continuous mountain peaks and deep, serene valleys, was an ideal site for Buddhist practice. Determined to carve a great Buddha, he labored through two lifetimes but failed to complete the task. In his third lifetime, he was reborn as a monk on Nanming Mountain, where — just like in his previous lives — he tirelessly chiseled away at the great bodhisattva figure. When the heavenly deities heard of his dedication, they were deeply moved and sent more than a thousand celestial soldiers and generals down to Nanming Mountain to assist him. Together, they finally completed the stone statue of Maitreya.

After helping Boyisguang complete the great bodhisattva, these celestial beings fell in love with the human world and refused to return to heaven. They all made their way to a cave outside the main gate of the Great Buddha Temple. When Boyisguang followed to see what had happened, he found they had all transformed into small Buddha figures, sitting neatly along the cave’s rocky walls. Ever since, this place has been called the “Thousand Buddha Cave.” At the cave’s entrance now stands a newly created relief of the “Guanyin of the Sea Island,” relocated from the Hidden Yue Cave.

Address: Northwest of Dafo Temple, Xinchang County, Shaoxing City

Type: Temple