Open Collections

Niches 237-244, 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 237: This niche is damaged. The remains of a seated figure can be seen. Niche 238: This niche is damaged. Only one standing bodhisattva figure remains on the right side wall. Niche 239: Same as Niche 238. Niche 240: The middle wall depicts two bodhisattvas with peach-shaped halos trimmed with flame patterns. The left one is badly damaged. The right one holds a stem with a lotus bud. Three small donor images remain at the bottom of the right niche frame. The outer two’s heads are lost. Inscriptions dated to 896 CE (唐乾寧三年) are found above the niche frame, indicating that this is a niche for Avalokiteśvara (Chinese: guanyin 觀音). 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. 3-1, Chongqing: Chongqing chubanshe, 2018, pp. 145-146. Niche 241: The middle wall depicts two bodhisattvas. Both bodhisattvas have circular halos. The left one, holding a stem with a lotus, stands on a lotus pedestal. The right one is seated on a Sumeru throne. His left hand has a pearl, while the right hand carries a staff. A standing image, whose upper body is lost, is depicted on his right hand side. Two standing figures are carved on the left niche frame. Their heads are lost. Niche 242: A standing bodhisattva with a circular halo stands on a lotus pedestal. The right hand holds a staff. Besides, there is a small standing figure next to the left frame of the niche. Niche 243: The middle wall depicts a multiple-armed bodhisattva seated in a European posture. Each extant hand holds an object or forms a mudra. There is a pair of feitian above the bodhisattva. Besides, a pair of standing figures are depicted on either side wall. Inscriptions dated to 901 CE (唐天復元年) are found outside the niche frame, indicating that this is a niche for the thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara (Chinese: qian shou guanyin 千手觀音). 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. 3-1, Chongqing: Chongqing chubanshe, 2018, p. 154. Niche 244: The middle wall depicts two standing bodhisattvas with circular halos. The left one has a pearl in the left hand, while the right hand carries a staff. The bodhisattva on the right side has a bowl in the left hand and a willow brand in the right hand. Seven donor images are depicted outside the left frame of the niche. Descriptions of the photos: Key to the niches [1]. Overview of the niches [2, 3, 4]. Close-up of Niche 244 [5]. 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

10.14288/1.0433198

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