Vertical Stone Buddha Cliff Carvings

Vertical Stone Buddha Cliff Carvings

The Vertical Stone Buddha Cliff Carvings are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Vertical Stone Buddha Village Cliff Carvings

Era: Song Dynasty

Location: Lingdi Township, northern mountainous area of Jiaocheng County

The time of initial carving is unknown. According to an inscription from the seventh year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty (1827), it was created around the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. The carvings were made on a massive stone shaped like a pyramid, facing east and situated west, standing 7.3 meters high, 8.8 meters wide at the base, and 2.7 meters thick. There are a total of 65 caves and over 100 statues on the eastern wall of the rock. The earliest caves are arranged in three tiers, with neat and standardized layouts. The caves from this period are relatively large, with the largest being 1.4 meters wide, 1.5 meters high, and 1.2 meters deep. The cave entrances are square with flame doors, featuring styles of the Northern Wei and Sui-Tang periods. Inside the caves, there are over a hundred round sculptures including the Buddha Shakyamuni, bodhisattvas, vajras, and guardian warriors. The cave walls are decorated with simple and abstract ink-painted cloud patterns, likely added by later generations. At the upper center of the rock face, there is a larger cave with richly carved content that is representative. In the center of the entrance stands the Buddha Shakyamuni in a lotus position, with a tall ushnisha, wearing a shawl over both shoulders and an inner robe, with “U”-shaped simplified and sparse drapery lines. Ananda and Kasyapa stand on either side with folded hands. The Buddha on the left sits in a lotus position, while the one on the right is in a seated posture with feet hanging down. Warrior statues stand on both sides of the cave entrance.

On the southern-facing rock surface, there is a stupa carved, standing 1.9 meters high. The stupa has a square base, a single-story body with a square door, resembling a pre-Tang four-door stupa. The eaves protrude in layers. Particularly distinctive are the relatively high base and finial, with two additional tiers of carvings above the lotus base of the finial.

In front of the carvings, on the base of the main hall, there are three extant steles from the sixteenth year of the Zhengde reign in the Ming Dynasty (1521), the fifty-fourth year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1715), and the seventh year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty (1827).

On October 7, 2019, the Vertical Stone Buddha Cliff Carvings were included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Lingdi Township: A township under the jurisdiction of Jiaocheng County. Established as the Lingdi Commune in 1961 and reorganized as a township in 1984. Located in the northeastern part of the county, it covers an area of 74 square kilometers with a population of 5,000. The township government is located in Lingdi. The Jiaoling Highway passes through the area. It administers 23 village committees: Lingdi, Weijiagou, Shijiazhuang, Guojiazhuang, Xileizhuang, Dongleizhuang, Mazhuang, Dongzhuang, Shishifo, Mao’Shang, Yaodi, Fengjiata, Huaohuat, Qianhuoshan, Houhuoshan, Wangshanling, Yaozetou, Shenjiageduo, Pianjiao, Zhengjing, Guangzu, Anze, and Gedong. The main agricultural products include tubers, millet, and corn. There are coal mines and brick kilns. Shishifo is a provincial-level... Detailed information about Lingdi Township++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units