Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Great Buddha Bay Niche 20

CHINA, Chongqing, Dazu

This niche in the north cliff has a flat ceiling and is 19.4 m in width and 13.8 m in height. The carvings within it are based primarily on images and stories found in the Ksitigarbha Sutra and the Dasacakra Ksitigarbha Sutra. There are also scenes from the Sutra on the Ten Kings of Hell, and the “Chapter on the Ten Evil Deeds” in the Avatamsaka Sutra.
The niche is divided into two tiers. In the center of the upper tier, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sits on a lotus throne, flanked by attendants holding a monk’s staff and a jewel. Small niches containing carvings of the Buddhas of the Ten Directions are located to either side of Ksitigarbha’s head. Carvings of the Ten Kings of Hell and their attendants, as well as the Official of Present Retribution and the Official of Quick Retribution, can be found below the Buddhas.
In the bottom tier of the niche, there are depictions of the Eighteen Hells arranged in two rows. The upper row shows ten hells, while the lower layer shows the other eight. A descriptive inscription accompanies each scene. A carving of the sponsor of the niche, Zhao Zhifeng, is located in front of a three-story pagoda in the center of the hell images. A tablet with an inscription reading “on heaven and hell” can be seen on the lower right of the niche.