Cliff Carvings at Wentang

Cliff Carvings at Wentang

The cliff carvings at Wentang are a protected cultural heritage site of Henan Province.

The cliff carvings at Wentang are located on the rocky face of the southern mountain’s shaded side in Wentang Village, Shan County, Henan Province, 15 kilometers from downtown Sanmenxia. There are currently 36 carvings and 6 niches.

The first niche is 1.75 meters high with a flame-shaped top, housing standing statues of one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas connected by a lotus stem. The Buddha stands 1.35 meters tall, with a flame-shaped ornament on its head. The Bodhisattvas are 1.20 meters tall, both standing on lotus pedestals. The facial features of the statues are largely intact. On either side outside the niche, there are carvings of patrons, along with inscribed stone tablets by Cheng Kegou, the magistrate of Gaoling County in Yongzhou, Tang Dynasty, and Wang Xichang, the magistrate of Xiangru County in Guozhou, Tang Dynasty.

To the west is a larger niche, 2.25 meters high, with a top shape similar to the first niche. It houses a beautifully sculpted standing Bodhisattva statue. The central part of its crown features a small carved shrine, and the niche is painted in red, green, and blue. Below the niche, inscriptions on the rock wall include a record by Huangfu Wen, the transport commissioner and defense commander of Shanguo during the Tang Dynasty’s Dali ninth year (774 AD).

On the lower eastern side, there is a niche on the right side inscribed with the “Inscription and Preface of the Ancient Wentang Temple,” written by Xu Yijie, a Chengwulang scholar-doctor and cavalry captain of Shanzhou during the Tang Dynasty’s Daezhou Chang’an second year (702 AD), and calligraphed by Guo Yuanheng.

Based on the carving styles and inscribed texts, these caves were created at different times and bear some resemblance to the style of the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang.

However, according to the inscription from the Daezhou Chang’an second year, it is referred to as the “Ancient Wentang Temple.” In 1963, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Henan Province