Huayan Lower Temple Bhagavad Sutra Hall

CHINA, Shanxi, Datong

It is located within Huayan Lower Temple and was built in 1038 during the Liao dynasty. It is the oldest extant building in this temple. Bhagavan means the World Honored One, one of the ten names given to the Buddha. The Bhagavan Sutra Hall was built to store sutras and once held the Khitan Tripitaka, as well as Liao (907–1125) and Jin (1115–1234) versions of Buddhist sutras, all of which are now missing. The extant sutras date to the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. They number at least 18,000 fascicles, kept in more than 1,700 containers.
The five-by-four bay building has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The moderately sloped roof and long eaves are features of the architectural style of the Tang dynasty (618–907).
A Buddha altar within an alcove contains 29 colored molded statues: the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future, flanked by Bodhisattvas, disciples, Arhats, and sages. These intricate statues constitute some of the best artwork from the Liao dynasty.
There are 38 wooden cabinets built along the walls to house the sutras and they have been given the name Heavenly Palace Wall Cabinets. The bottom section is shaped like a Sumeru throne, with the sutra cabinet above. On top of the sutra cabinets are eaves supporting a flat base, above which are Buddha niches enclosed by balustrades. The roof has wooden tiles with ridge decorations. There is an arched bridge connecting two sections, with a heavenly palace pavilion sitting in the middle. The pillars, architraves, bracket sets, upturned eaves and balustrades are all built on a small scale, showing the great detail and precision of Liao dynasty workmanship.