Pagoda Tier

CHINA; Northern Wei dynasty

The original stone pagoda was thought to contain five or six sections with a total height of over 2 m. This section is believed to be the second from the top and contains niched reliefs on all four sides. The carvings on the front depict a throned Buddha with two Bodhisattva attendants. An apsara flies across the lintel above them.
The niche on the right also features a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas, with a camel and a grazing animal carved beneath. The left niche shows Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna seated on rocks with a pair of Dharma protecting lions at the bottom. The niche at the back depicts Vimalakirti and Manjusri discussing the Dharma, beneath whom a dragon is coiled.