Rock Carvings of Buddha Statues on Jiulong Mountain

Rock Carvings of Buddha Statues on Jiulong Mountain

The rock carvings of Buddha statues on Jiulong Mountain are a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The rock carvings of Buddha statues on Jiulong Mountain are located on the southwestern slope of the central part of Jiulong Mountain, about 100 meters east of Wujia Village in Xiaoxue Subdistrict, Qufu City.

These carvings were created during the prosperous Tang Dynasty and consist of six large and small niches of Buddha statues. From south to north, the first niche features the statue of Vairocana Buddha, carved in the 15th year of the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty (756 AD); the second niche depicts a standing bodhisattva; the third niche features a bodhisattva; the fourth niche shows the Bodhisattva Manjushri riding a lion; the fifth niche features the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra riding a white elephant; and the sixth niche shows a standing Buddha. The rock carvings on Jiulong Mountain are well preserved, and the carving techniques of the niches reflect the development and evolution of Buddhist cave niches in the northern regions of the Central Plains. They serve as valuable physical materials for studying local customs and stone carving art, possessing extremely high research value. In 1985, they were designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Jining City, and in 2006, they were listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Shandong Province

· First Batch of Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jining City