Erfo Temple Rock Carvings

CHINA, Chongqing, Hechuan

These carvings are found within Erfo (Two Buddhas) Temple on Jiufengshan (Vulture Peak Mountain), and are located 45 km northeast of Hechuan. According to an inscription, the temple was constructed before 873 of the Tang dynasty. However, based on the inscriptions on the south cliff, the carvings date from 1174 to 1204 of the Southern Song dynasty. The layout of the site is rather unique; the carvings are set into irregular, rocky cliffs with the temple roof and supports built around them. The north, south, and west cliffs contain a total of 1,673 carvings. Among the caves and rock carvings in China, these rock carvings are the only known examples from the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) that are related to the Chan school with contents based on the Platform Sutra. The Erfo Temple Rock Carvings were listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2006.
The carvings at this site are based on the Platform Sutra, the Compendium of Five Lamps, the Pure Regulations of Baizhang, and the Liturgy for the Water and Land Dharma Service. Among the numerous figures depicted, notable examples include: Sakyamuni Buddha on the north cliff, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng and scenes from the Platform Sutra on the west cliff, and Subhuti, Bodhidharma, and Maitreya on the south cliff.
In the south cliff, carvings of Subhuti, Bodhidharma, and Maitreya are each depicted with unique characteristics. Subhuti, measuring 3.1 m in height, stands in the middle of the group with hands clasped together. A bamboo cane is tucked into the crook of one arm. The 2.73 m high Bodhidharma stands on the left, depicted as if leaning against the wall behind him, and the 2.9 m high Maitreya stands on the right, carrying a large sack and wearing a robe that bares his prominent belly.