Dashibu Grottoes

Dashibu Grottoes

The Dashibu Grottoes are a protected cultural relic site of Luzhou County.

The Dashibu Grottoes are carved into an oval-shaped boulder approximately 8 meters above the ground and about 11.5 meters in diameter on the eastern mountainside of Dashibu Hill. The grotto faces east and was carved in the 16th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1811). It is about 2 meters wide, 1.2 meters high, and 0.5 meters deep. There are three main statues, with the central one being a statue of Sakyamuni, seated in half-lotus posture on a lotus pedestal, which rests on an inverted lotus pedestal. To his left and right are the statues of Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas, both seated in full lotus posture on lotus thrones placed atop the backs of a lion and an elephant, respectively. Two attendants stand on either side of the Sakyamuni statue. The left and right side walls of the grotto are carved with secular human figures — one on the left, with hands clasped in front of the abdomen, and two on the right, wearing official attire and holding ceremonial tablets. Below and in front of the grotto, a protruding rock forms a round relief sculpture of a turtle, giving the impression of the turtle carrying the grotto on its back. This grotto holds significant value for the study of Buddhism in southern Sichuan. In August 1999, it was designated as a fourth batch County-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People’s Government of Luzhou County.