Wahuang Palace Sutra Caves

CHINA, Hebei, Handan

These caves are situated on Zhonghuangshan on the cliff behind the palace building. There are three sutra caves: South, Central, and North Caves. In addition, there are four areas on the cliffside that are engraved with sutras. The sutra engraving project was completed in 576. The Stele of Ancient Zhonghuangshan was carved during the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577). Apart from some minor erosion and damage incurred during later construction, the sutra works are well-preserved. Although the South Cave was destroyed during the restoration of Wahuang Palace, the other two sutra caves are intact. These caves were listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1996.
The Central Cave and North Cave have similar square layouts, with sutras engraved on the back and side walls. Statues of the Buddha and two Bodhisattvas can be found in front of the back wall in each cave.
There are a total of six sutras engraved in the Wahuang Palace Sutra Caves. The Sutra on the Questions of Visesa Cinti Brahma is carved at the north end of the cliff. Part of this sutra was covered by the construction of exterior stairs in 1871. The remaining script spans 12.85 m wide and 4.55 m high. The initial work is presented in clerical script, but the later work is written in Weiti, which is a combination of clerical and regular scripts. The Ten Stages Sutra, with a total of ten chapters, was carved in three places: at the end of the Sutra on the Questions of Visesa Cinti Brahma and on the three walls of the Central and North Caves.
The Sutra on the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching can be found on the north wall of the North Cave, at the end of the Ten Stages Sutra. The Ullambana Sutra follows after the Ten Stages Sutra, and below the Sutra on the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching. The Samdhinirmocana Sutra is carved in two places. Chapters 1 to 7 are carved on the north side of the warrior niche in the North Cave, and chapters 8 to 11 are carved on the south end of the cliffside. The “Universal Gateway Chapter” from the Lotus Sutra is carved on the side of the cliff in between where the two sections of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra can be found. These sutras, engraved in a total of 1,187 lines and 131,000 Chinese characters, are an important reference site for those interested in the study of Buddhist calligraphy.