Bahui Temple: Sutra Niches

CHINA, Hebei, Baoding; Sui dynasty

Situated on Shaorongshan (Young Countenance Mountain), 100 m northwest of Xiyangping village in Baoding, Bahui Temple was built during the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577), though many of the buildings were later destroyed. The sutra niches were carved in the Sui dynasty (581–618) from a single stone block which measures 3.33 m to 3.5 m wide, 2 m to 2.4 m high, and 3.75 m to 4.05 m deep. Sutra niches exist on the south, west, and north sides of the stone, as well as two niches on the east. A stone house subsequently was built around the stone for protection. The site was listed as a Provincial Cultural Heritage Site in 1982.
Above the niche on the south side of the stone are images of the Seven Buddhas of the Past, with inscriptions indicating their names. Below the niche, names of donors and an engraving of the Sutra on the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching can be found. The west side of the stone depicts a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas within a rectangular niche at the top, with an engraving of the “Universal Gateway Chapter” of the Lotus Sutra, and an inscription date of 593 below. The niche on the north side is engraved with the Sutra on Maitreya Attaining Buddhahood. The two niches on the east side consist of small seated Buddhas in the upper section as well as inscriptions of the Thousand Buddhas of the Present Kalpa Sutra and the Fifty-Three Buddha Names, listing a total of 919 Buddha names.
The carved Buddha images in the sutra niches are very similar to those found in the Tianlongshan Caves and the Lingquan Temple Caves, which also date to the Sui dynasty. Depicted with rounded bodies, the Buddhas wear seemingly thin monastic robes with loose sleeves. Each fold of the fabric is carved simply, with sparse but clear lines. The Bodhisattvas carved in the sutra niches have strong physiques and wear necklaces, stoles draped over both shoulders, and lower garments. The sutras were all engraved around the year 593 in two styles of scripts, clerical and regular. Inscriptions suggest that this massive project was launched under the auspices of merchants, civilian associations, and local officials.