The Giant Stone Buddha of Xunxian

　　　　The Giant Stone Buddha stands 22.29 meters tall and was carved into the cliff during the Later Zhao period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, over 1,600 years ago. It is recognized as the earliest and largest large-scale cliff carving in northern China. According to the Xunxian County Annals from the Ming Dynasty, Shi Le, the emperor of Later Zhao, ordered the creation of the statue at the suggestion of the monk Fotudeng, commissioning a colossal Buddha “several zhang high” to be carved from the cliff to “subdue the Yellow River.” As a result, the Giant Stone Buddha is also commonly known as the “General Who Subdues the River.”

　　　　Tianning Temple: Located at the eastern foot of Dapi Mountain, it overlooks the old course of the Yellow River to the east and leans against the steep cliffs of Dapi Mountain to the west, presenting a majestic setting with mountains behind and water in front. The temple complex consists of four courtyards: front, middle, back, and north. The front courtyard has its main gate on the east, inside which stand statues of the two guardian deities “Heng” and “Ha.” To the south is the Ksitigarbha Hall, and to the north is the Heavenly King Hall. The courtyard once housed precious relics such as the Stele of the Zhunchi Buyizhifei Record from the Later Zhou Dynasty and an iron bell cast in 1180 during the Jin Dynasty’s Dading era. The middle courtyard centers around the Scripture Depository, which originally housed 6,053 volumes of the Southern Canon. These were relocated to Pingyuan Province in 1949 and are now preserved in the Xinxiang Museum. Beneath the depository sits a 4.3-meter-tall statue of the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Buddha, noted for its vivid craftsmanship. The back courtyard is home to the Great Buddha Tower. The north side of the courtyard features the Arhat Hall, and to the east is the Bell Tower, which houses an iron bell cast in 1453 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jingti era. The bell stands 1.8 meters tall, has a diameter of 1.2 meters, and weighs over 5,000 jin (approximately 2,500 kilograms), with inscriptions cast into its body. In the center is the Mahavira Hall, which is three bays wide and three bays deep. The hall originally contained statues of the Three Ages of Buddhas seated in meditation, hence its name “Three Buddha Hall.” The Buddha statues are three meters tall, with mandorlas painted behind them. The walls on both sides of the hall are adorned with paintings of the Twenty-Four Protective Deities. Behind the hall lies the Water-Land Hall. Tianning Temple is grand in scale and rich in history, ranking as one of the county’s most valuable ancient architectural complexes.

　　　　The Bell Tower houses an iron bell cast in 1453 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jingti era. The bell stands 1.8 meters tall, has a diameter of 1.2 meters, and weighs over 5,000 jin (approximately 2,500 kilograms), with inscriptions cast into its body. In the center is the Mahavira Hall, which is three bays wide and three bays deep. The hall originally contained statues of the Three Ages of Buddhas seated in meditation, hence its name “Three Buddha Hall.” The Buddha statues are three meters tall, with mandorlas painted behind them. The walls on both sides of the hall are adorned with paintings of the Twenty-Four Protective Deities. Behind the hall lies the Water-Land Hall. Tianning Temple is grand in scale and rich in history, ranking as one of the county’s most valuable ancient architectural complexes.

　　Source: Xunxian County Government Official Website