Jiuhuashan Corporeal Relic Hall: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas
Jiuhuashan Corporeal Relic Hall: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas
CHINA, Anhui, Chizhou
According to the Song Biographies of Eminent Monks, Ksitigarbha was identified with a prince from Silla named Kim Gyo Gak, who passed away in meditation on Jiuhuashan (Nine Lotus Mountain) in 794. However, since his body stayed fresh, people believed that he was a manifestation of Ksitigarbha and the hall dedicated to him on Jiuhuashan became a pilgrimage site.
The corporeal relic statue of Ksitigarbha is located within a wooden octagonal pagoda that has seven levels, each with exterior niches occupied by a Ksitigarbha statue, of which there are 56. The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva figure shown here wears a tasseled five-sided crown featuring a seated a Buddha on each leaf. Layered robes fall from the shoulders to the ankles in folds. The right hand is held palm upward while the left hand is lifted in lotus mudra. Ksitigarbha sits in a variation of the relaxation posture on an auspicious creature.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 499.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M},
pages = 499,
title = {{Jiuhuashan Corporeal Relic Hall: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}