Daci’en Temple Pagoda: Buddha in a Shrine

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Tang dynasty

This is a rubbing of an image engraved on the lintel of the west door on the first story of the Daci’en Temple Pagoda. The blue limestone lintels, frames, and gate piers of the doors in all four walls of the pagoda are engraved with patterns, images, and text. From the style of the engraving lines, these works are thought to have been completed between 701 and 705, when the pagoda was rebuilt. In this segment, the Buddha is shown teaching the Dharma within a shrine. He sits in full lotus position on a lotus throne with his right hand probably forming the vitarka (teaching) mudra, accompanied by a group of Bodhisattvas. The surrounding shrine is a meticulously detailed portrayal of Tang dynasty (618–907) architecture.