Huashiya Cave

CHINA, Shaanxi, Tongchuan

This cave is situated west of Pengzhen town between Pengcun village and Huashiya village. The site consists of two caves, Pengcun Cave and Huashiya Cave; however, the former is seriously damaged. Huashiya Cave has also suffered severe weathering, particularly due to its sandstone composition. The caves were excavated during the Western Wei (535–556) and Sui (581–618) dynasties. Huashiya Cave is currently listed as a Provincial Cultural Heritage Site.
Huashiya Cave faces south. On the north wall of the cave are three square niches with flat ceilings. Sculptures of Heavenly Kings and warriors flank their entrances. The main sculptures in these niches are a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. Although the Buddha’s face is severely weathered, the discernible features of the Buddha include a high usnisa and a robe covering both shoulders. Niche 1 still holds images of apsaras and donors. The side walls of Niches 2 and 3 contain the Thousand Buddhas; there are 30 preserved bas-relief images in Niche 2, while only the third and fourth rows of these images in Niche 3 remain.