Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Small Buddha Bay Chamber 5

CHINA, Chongqing, Dazu

This north-facing chamber is the main structure at Small Buddha Bay. The chamber measures 1.7 m wide, 2.16 m high, and 2.88 m deep. It is made of stone slabs, and the top resembles an overhanging gable roof. Three large characters are inscribed above the entrance reading “Vairocana’s Hermitage.” The doorposts and lintel are carved with small, round niches containing seated Buddhas and Buddhist verses.
A large, circular niche housing a relief of Vairocana Buddha is found in the back (south) wall of the chamber. The east and west walls have reliefs of the Ten Austerities of Liu Benzun and depictions of the Eight Wisdom Kings. The upper register of the exterior sides of both the east and west walls are engraved with 40 round niches housing seated Buddhas. The Buddhas are all unique, with different postures, mudras, and facial expressions. Carvings of Heavenly Kings can be seen in the lower registers of the walls.
On the south wall outside the chamber, there is a tablet measuring 1.75 m high and 0.6 m wide. A 12-character inscription mentions about a miraculous painting of a Sakyamuni Relic Pagoda. An inscription dated 1217 and signed by Daoquan, the abbot of Guangli Temple on Ayuwangshan (King Asoka Mountain) in Qingyuan, can be read at the top of the tablet. The Four Heavenly Kings, namely Dhrtarastra Heavenly King of the East, Virupaksa Heavenly King of the West, Virudhaka Heavenly King of the South, and Vaisravana Heavenly King of the North are carved beside the lower part of the tablet. The kings wear headdresses, robes, and armor, and they hold various Dharma instruments to assist them in protecting the tablet. The entire chamber resembles a Vairocana Buddha Mandala.