Zhongshan Grottoes

CHINA, Shaanxi, Yan’an

Also known as Shigong (Stone Palace) Temple, Wanfo (Ten Thousand Buddha) Cave, Puji (Universal Liberation) Monastery, and Dapuji (Great Universal Liberation) Chan Monastery, the Zhongshan Grottoes are located in eastern Anding and are representative of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). According to the Record of the Restoration of Dapuji Chan Monastery in Anding dated 1386, and the existing calligraphy inscriptions in the grottoes, construction began in 1067, with additional decoration and carvings in the Jin (1115–1234), Yuan (1271–1368), and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1988.
Six grottoes remain. Principal among these is Grotto 3, the earliest created. It occupies the largest area and the statues are the best preserved. It is 16.4 m in width, 5.5 m in height, and 9.5 m in depth. The center contains an altar enshrining the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future. An octagonal plafond is above each Buddha, and flanking them are the disciples Mahakasyapa and Ananda. Two Bodhisattvas are depicted in front of the disciples. Carved on the grotto’s walls and the altar’s columns are reliefs of the Thousand Buddhas. Among the reliefs are numerous large and small niches that contain images including the Buddha and two disciples, the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future, Avatamsaka Triad, Water-Moon Avalokitesvara, Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas, and the Sixteen Arhats.
One particularly noteworthy feature of Grotto 5 is seen on the left side of the rear chamber. This Song dynasty niche statue depicts the Tang Master Obtains the Sutras, a story of Master Xuanzang from the Tang dynasty who undertook a journey to India to acquire sutras.