Thousand Buddha Cliff Scenic Area

Thousand Buddha Cliff Scenic Area

Thousand Buddha Cliff is located on the eastern bank of the Jialing River, 5 kilometers north of Guangyuan City in Sichuan Province, facing Huazang Temple across the river. It is the largest grotto complex in Sichuan and was listed among the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council in April 1961.

The cliff carvings at Thousand Buddha Cliff began in the Northern Wei Dynasty and continued for nearly 1,500 years. On the steep cliffs, which are 45 meters high and over 200 meters long from north to south, there are numerous niches and caves densely packed in 13 layers, resembling a honeycomb. There are currently over 400 niches and more than 7,000 statues of various sizes. The carvings on the entire cliff are centered around the Dayun Cave and are divided into northern and southern sections. The southern section includes niches and caves such as the Great Buddha Cave, Lotus Cave, Muni Pavilion, Thousand Buddha Cave, Sleeping Buddha Niche, Treasure Buddha Niche, Amitabha Niche, Donor Niche, Divine Dragon Great Buddha, Cintamani Wheel Guanyin, and Single Buddha Cave. The northern section features niches and caves such as the Three Ages of Buddha Niche, Carefree Flower Tree Cave, Maitreya Buddha Niche, Trikaya Buddha Niche, Ascetic Monk Niche, Bodhi Image Cave, Heavenly Musician Cave, Ksitigarbha Niche, Guardian deity Niche, Vairocana Buddha Niche, Eleven-faced Guanyin Statue, Amitabha Buddha Niche, Flying Apsaras Cave, and Qing Dynasty Buddha Cave.

Guide

Dayun Cave

Located at the center of Thousand Buddha Cliff, it is the largest cave with a total of 234 statues. The left and right walls are carved with 148 Lotus Guanyin statues, and the main statue in the center of the cave is a standing Maitreya Buddha. In the first year of the TianShou era of the Tang Dynasty (690 AD), when Empress Wu Zetian officially ascended the throne, 12 monks including Fahua of the White Horse Temple and Xue Huaizhi, in an effort to support Wu Zetian’s claim to the throne, wrote the "Dayun Sutra" and presented it to her, claiming that Wu Zetian was the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha and should replace the Li Tang dynasty as emperor. Wu Zetian was delighted upon reading it, personally wrote the preface, promulgated it throughout the empire, and ordered all provinces to build Dayun Temples to house the "Dayun Sutra." Since Wu Zetian was born in Lizhou (Guangyuan), the local people built the Dayun Cave at Thousand Buddha Cliff and carved this standing Maitreya Buddha statue along with the images of the “Two Sages”—Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian—on the rear wall niche.

Address: Thousand Buddha Cliff Scenic Area, Eastern Bank of Jialing River, Lizhou District, Guangyuan City

Type: Cave Historical Site

Recommended Visiting Time: 3–4 hours

Phone: 0839-3231480; 0839-3290080

Opening Hours:

9:00-17:30

Ticket:

Ticket: 50 RMB