Shizhongshan Grottoes Niche 1: King Yimouxun of Nanzhao

CHINA, Yunnan, Dali; Dali Kingdom

This figure is located on the back wall of Niche 1. King Yimouxun (reigned 779–808) was the sixth king of the Nanzhao Kingdom. Regarded as the most open-minded and far-sighted king in the history of Nanzhao, Yimouxun was a principal figure in the allegiance of Nanzhao to the Tang (618–907) court. Nanzhao officially became a vassal state of Tang in 794, and Yimouxun was given the title “King of Yunnan,” although his people revered him as a great guardian in the Benzu tradition.
The king wears a tall crown with upturned extensions on the sides and is 1.05 m high. King Yimouxun is clothed in a loose robe. Directly under his throne is a child sitting in full lotus position on clouds and supporting items of worship on an altar above his head.
Sculptures of the Nanzhao Kings in these Buddhist grottoes may have originated as a way to recognize and legitimize a political mandate from heaven. This inclusion of political and secular images in Buddhist caves and grottoes is in accordance with the secularization of Buddhism, often seen as having begun during the Tang dynasty.