Thousand Buddha Cliff Carvings in Wusheng

Thousand Buddha Cliff Carvings in Wusheng

The Thousand Buddha Cliff Carvings in Wusheng are a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

The Thousand Buddha Cliff Carvings were built during the Jiayou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1056–1063). On a rock face approximately 14.4 meters in length and 7.2 meters in height, there are over a thousand small Buddha statues in low relief, each about three inches tall, carved along the top. Within the stone niche is a seated statue of Shakyamuni, 2.8 meters in height, flanked on either side by Manjusri and Samantabhadra, each 2.26 meters tall. The small flying apsaras above the niche are vivid and concise, resembling those of Dunhuang. Below the niche, there is a row of four musicians carved in relief. On both sides outside the niche are statues of various offering bodhisattvas, each 1.5 meters in height. All the Buddha statues are proportionally well-balanced and possess high artistic value. The carvings form a unified whole, and right beside this ensemble on the right side is another carving of a big-bellied Budai monk, 2.28 meters tall, rendered in a lively and endearing style.

Protective boundary: 20 meters northward and southward from the carving niche wall, extending to the top of the Thousand Buddha Cliff above and down to the temple of the Thousand Buddha Cliff below.

Construction control zone: 10 meters further north and south respectively from the protective boundary, and 20 meters extended upward and downward.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Sichuan Province