Open Collections

Niches 140 to 145, Beishan Rock Carvings (北山石刻)

From the Ground Up: Buddhism & East Asian Religions (FROGBEAR Project)

This complex of niches is located in Beishan Rock Carvings (北山石刻), Fowan (佛灣), Dazu (大足) District, Chongqing. Niche 140: Three seated figures on the central wall flanked by two small standing images on either side wall remain. Since they are severely eroded, their identities are unknown. The three seated figures have peach-shaped head halos and oval body halos trimmed with flame patterns. The seats are probably Sumeru thrones. A staff is also carved to the right of the middle figure. The remains of inscriptions in three columns are found above the niche frame. Only six characters are still recognizable. Source: Dazu shike yanjiuyuan 大足石刻研究院. Dazu shike quanji 大足石刻全集 [Dazu Rock Carvings] Edited by Li Fangyin 黎方銀. 10 vols. Vol. 2-1, Chongqing: Chongqing chubanshe, 2018, p. 267. Niche 141: A severely eroded standing figure with an oval body halo and a circular head halo remains. Its identity is unknown. The figure appears to hold an oblique staff. Niche 142: A pair of severely eroded standing figures, one on the central wall and another on the left side wall, remain. Their identities are unknown. Niche 143: Inscriptions of a poem of 218 characters, written in regular script (Chinese: kaishu 楷書) and distributed in 20 vertical lines, were engraved in 1924 (民國十三年). Source: Dazu shike yanjiuyuan 大足石刻研究院. Dazu shike quanji 大足石刻全集 [Dazu Rock Carvings] Edited by Li Fangyin 黎方銀. 10 vols. Vol. 2-1, Chongqing: Chongqing chubanshe, 2018, p. 271-272. Niche 144: A pair of severely eroded seated figures on the central wall remain. Their identities are unknown. Niche 145: One seated figure flanked by two standing figures on either side wall remain. Since they are severely eroded, their identities are unknown. Traces of the central figures’ body and head circular halos still exist. The hands of the standing figure on the left side wall forms a Añjali Mudras (Chinese: heshi 合十). Descriptions of the photos: Key to the niches [1] Overview of the niches [2] Close-up of Niches 143 and 145 [3] Metadata created by: Sau Ling Wendy Yu.

Chongqing (China)); Dazu Qu (Chongqing, China); 29.71282; 105.71016

chi

Cluster 3.4: Typologies of Text-Image Relations

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0433170

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