South Xiangtangshan Grotto 1

CHINA, Hebei, Handan

Grotto 1 is located on the lower level, next to Grotto 2. These grottoes were excavated simultaneously and have a similar layout and structure. According to a stele inscribed outside Grotto 2, the construction of these grottoes began in 565 and ran until the late Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) under the patronage of Prime Minister Gao A’nagong.
Grotto 1 consists of a portico and a main chamber. The portico imitates typical wooden structures of classical Chinese architecture. Four columns originally supported three chambers above the three bays of the portico. Large columns decorated with coiled dragons have survived the damage to the outer wall. A niche with a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas is found above the portico’s lintel. The main chamber is 6.4 m wide, 4.7 m high, and 6.4 m deep. There are niches on three sides of the central pillar. The west side originally housed seven statues; however, only six of them remain. Only the seated central Buddha and the two disciples on either side are original works.
There are five niches arranged horizontally on both the south and north walls, and there are two niches vertically aligned on both ends of the east wall. Each of these niches depicts a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. Illustrations of the Western Pure Land can be seen above the entrance on the front wall. The Amitabha Buddha Triad is the focus of the illustration.
The sutra engraving is a distinctive feature of this grotto. The west and south walls are engraved with the Avatamsaka Sutra, including the “Chapter on the Four Noble Truths,” the “Chapter on Awakening by Light,” the “Chapter on Bodhisattvas Asking for Clarification,” and the “Chapter on Pure Conduct.” Except for the “Chapter of the Four Noble Truths,” of which only the last bit is engraved, all the chapters are engraved in full.