Xiaonanhai Grottoes

Xiaonanhai Grottoes

The Xiaonanhai Grottoes are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The Xiaonanhai Grottoes are located on the northern shore of Xiaonanhai, approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Anyang County. They face the Huan River and are backed by a large mountain, carved directly into the mountainside. Because they were excavated near the scenic Xiaonanhai area, they are called the Xiaonanhai Grottoes. There are currently three grottoes, all built during the Tianbao era of the Northern Qi Dynasty. The Buddha statues in the three grottoes are largely similar in style and scale, featuring an ancient and elegant aesthetic.

The Western Grotto is 1.76 meters deep, 1.36 meters wide, and 1.76 meters high. It has a square floor plan covering an area of 2.4 square meters. At the center is a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, seated cross-legged on a rectangular pedestal, flanked by two attendant bodhisattvas. The side walls each feature three standing bodhisattva carvings. The entrance is arched, with the lintel carved with two coiled dragons and a lotus flower in the middle. On either side of the door are guardian deity kings, forming a flaming archway.

The Central Grotto is 1.34 meters deep, 1.19 meters wide, and 1.78 meters high. It also has a square floor plan, covering an area of about 1.6 square meters. The central figure is a Buddha statue with a flame-shaped halo, within which six flying apsaras in mid-flight are intricately carved. On the left and right are two attendant bodhisattvas, and the side walls each have three standing bodhisattva carvings, along with three smaller bodhisattvas carved in low relief, each holding a lotus branch. The eastern wall’s upper section features a bas-relief of Maitreya preaching, while the western wall has a design of a bodhi tree with lotus branches. The pedestal is carved with three musicians. The entire grotto is covered with inscriptions about worshiping Buddha and accumulating merit. The doorway is also arched with a threshold. The lintel is adorned with vividly sculpted dragons and flame jewels, beneath which are two golden-winged birds. Symmetrically placed on both sides of the doorway are bas-reliefs of guardian heavenly kings, majestic and powerful. The lintel also features a large, flattened rock engraved with the “Record of Dharma Master Carving Stone Sutras,” which reads: “In the first year of the Tianbao era of the Great Qi, Dharma Master from Ling Mountain Temple, along with Lin, the former Duke of Yunyang, and local residents, undertook the carving of this grotto to replicate the true image. By the sixth year, the ‘National Teacher and Great Virtue’ Master Chou renovated and completed it. The forms were perfected, and there were plans to engrave golden scriptures to illuminate future generations. However, as fate would shift, in the first year of the Qianming era, the cyclical year of Gengshen, at Yunmen Temple, the master passed away. The followers, in reverence of their teacher, followed his vision and engraved the stone sutra to pass it on.” It is followed by verses from the Avatamsaka Sutra and passages from the Nirvana Sutra. This cliff inscription stone sutra is a prime example of Northern Qi calligraphy—vigorous, weighty, graceful, and exquisite—with very high artistic value.

The Eastern Grotto is more severely damaged. It is also 1.29 meters deep and wide, and 1.67 meters high, with a square layout covering an area of 1.66 square meters. The central front features a carving of Sakyamuni Buddha, with two attendant bodhisattvas on either side, and three bodhisattvas carved on each of the side walls. Among them are 23 Buddha figures of varying sizes, lacking a unified arrangement, suggesting they were not carved all at once.

This site was originally the grand Ling Mountain Temple, which may have had a large-scale cluster of grotto carvings. Now only three grottoes remain. In terms of structure, style, and subject matter, they correspond and complement the Xiangtangshan Grottoes in Fengfeng, Hebei Province, and are considered treasured artworks of Northern Qi Dynasty grotto art.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units