Stone Carvings at Xiangquan Temple

Stone Carvings at Xiangquan Temple

The stone carvings at Xiangquan Temple are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The stone walls and buildings of Xiangquan Temple are carved and painted with Buddha statues and niches, all in diverse forms and lifelike appearances. Inside the Thousand Buddha Cave, numerous Buddha statues are carved. Built during the Kaiyuan era (713–741 AD) of the Tang Dynasty, the cave is excavated into the mountainside, measuring 3 meters in height and depth, and 2.5 meters in width. The northern wall features 184 statues, the southern wall 71, totaling 270 Buddha statues. These statues are in a myriad of poses, leaving viewers in awe. On the northern wall of the Thousand Buddha Cave, there is an authentic stone carving artwork by Wu Daozi, the Sage of Tang Painting — an image preserved despite over a thousand years of weathering, still as vivid as ever. The cliffside carving of the Avatamsaka Sutra is a rare gem of stone carving art from the Northern Qi period. There is also a Thousand Buddha Pagoda, a relatively intact religious art stone carving.

In May 2013, the stone carvings at Xiangquan Temple were listed as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units