Dafo Temple

CHINA, Chongqing, Jiangjin

Dafo means Great Buddha and its name is derived from the Great Buddha enshrined within the temple. The temple is located at the foot of Dingmingshan (Calm Light Mountain) in Shimen town of Jiangjin district. It was built in 1127 during the Southern Song dynasty.
Only four timber buildings exist within the temple, they are the Great Buddha Pavilion, Avalokitesvara Hall, Jade Emperor Hall, and the Jian Pavilion. The Great Buddha Pavilion was built on the side of a large rock and has a seven-tier hip-and-gable roof. A 27 m high cliff sculpture of a seated Buddha is enshrined within the pavilion. To the east and west of the Great Buddha Pavilion, there are more than 120 niches carved along the cliff face from the Sui (581–618) to the Song (960–1279) dynasties. Most of the niches were carved during the Tang dynasty (618–907). On the east cliff, there are three small niches with inscriptions dated to 591 and 610 during the Sui dynasty. Such dated niches are quite rare in this area. There are also over 80 inscriptions by scholars and poets throughout the dynasties, as well as around 20 golden couplets.