South Xiangtangshan Grotto 7

CHINA, Hebei, Handan

This grotto was constructed during the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577). It consists of two sections: a portico and a main chamber. The portico is three bays wide. It has an arched lintel adorned with apsaras sitting beneath an imitation wooden eave on the exterior. Above the roof on the facade there is a relief of an inverted bowl decorated with plantain leaves. A warrior stands on each side of the grotto entrance.
There are niches cut into the back (east), south, and north walls of the main chamber. Each niche contains a Buddha, two Bodhisattvas, and two other figures. The bases of the niches are carved with a row of small relief niches. The ceiling is decorated with a lotus motif surrounded by eight apsaras. The main Buddha in this grotto sits upon a Sumeru throne with legs pendent. His feet rest on lotus pedestals emerging from the mouth of the Earth Deity.