Lingchuan Thousand Buddha Sculpture Stele

Lingchuan Thousand Buddha Sculpture Stele

The Lingchuan Thousand Buddha Sculpture Stele is a cultural relic protected at the provincial level in Shanxi Province.

Thousand Buddha Sculpture Stele

Thousand Buddha Sculpture Stele (Second Batch of Provincial-level Protected Cultural Relics)

Era: Sui Dynasty

Location: North of Pingchuan Village, Liyi Town, Lingchuan County

The stele is made of sandstone, standing 3.2m tall and 1.1m wide. It features over 400 Buddha statues of various sizes on its front, back, left, and right sides.

The front of the stele is divided into upper and lower sections: the upper part has 13 tiers of small seated Buddhas, while the lower part contains a niche with one Buddha, two disciples, and two bodhisattvas. The sides of the niche are carved with three tiers of small Buddha figures; the back is also divided into upper and lower sections: the upper part has 14 tiers of small seated Buddhas, and the lower part has two tiers of standing bodhisattva donor figures.

The Thousand Buddha Sculpture Stele is accompanied by a square brick-built stele pavilion from the Qing Dynasty. In front of the pavilion is a 1.5-meter-high brick archway, with the three characters “??嘛呢” carved at the top of the archway, and “叭咪哞” carved at the back. The structure is well-preserved.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shanxi Provincial-level Protected Cultural Relics