Bronze statues of the Eighteen Arhats

Bronze statues of the Eighteen Arhats

The bronze statues of the Eighteen Arhats were originally located in Yuantong Temple inside the north gate of the county town and were moved to Bao'en Temple in 1962. Fifteen of them are preserved today. These sculptures are not large in size (standing 63–67 cm tall), but their expressions and postures are vividly lifelike, and their design exhibits a simple yet robust style. Inscriptions on the back of the statues indicate that they were cast during the 33rd to 35th years of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1605–1607). On June 9, 1961, the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture designated these statues as key cultural relics under provincial protection.