Anyue stone carving

Anyue stone carving

Anyue grottoes were excavated in the second year of Emperor Wu's reign in the southern Liang Dynasty (A.D. 521). They flourished in Tang and Song Dynasties and lasted to the Ming and Qing Dynasties until the Republic of China. Almost every township has large-scale grotto statue sites, which are folk association statues. Most of them are Buddhist Grottoes, but some are Taoist statues. There are not a few statues that combine the three religions. Anyue Grottoes have the largest left side stone of Tang Dynasty In addition to a few natural and man-made damages, most of the Anyue grottoes are well preserved, especially in the Song Dynasty It has high ornamental value. Anyue Grottoes have been listed in the national material and cultural heritage list.

In November 2019, Anyue stone carving was listed in the list of national intangible cultural heritage representative project protection units.

Main attractions

The content of Anyue stone sculptures is mainly Buddhist statues, with a small number of Taoist statues and descriptions of social real life.

Cliff sculptures in the Northern Song Dynasty are another peak period of Anyue stone carving, represented by Pilu cave, Yuanjue cave, Huayan cave and Mingshan temple.

The picture of liubenzun is well preserved and well illustrated. The statue of "Purple Bamboo Guanyin" in Guanyin hall is famous at home and abroad. It is called "Oriental Venus" by the famous British writer Han Suyin. The statue of "three saints of the west" on the North cliff of Yuanjue cave is tall and graceful. The "three saints of Huayan" and twelve disciples in Huayan cave are well preserved and exquisitely carved. Mingshan Temple cliff stone carving Chinese special teacher Li statue, full use of mechanical principles, it is amazing. The most representative of the Five Dynasties cliff prestige statues is the "disguised Buddhist Sutra of pharmacists" carved in cave 96 of Qianfo village. In addition, the statues of Huayan Sansheng, Mingshan temple, Xuanmiao temple and Taoism in Tang Dynasty are also important works of Anyue stone carvings.

Reclining Buddha courtyard

It is a national key cultural relic protection unit. Located 25 kilometers north of the county, there are 139 large and small niches in wofogou, BAMIAO Township, with more than 1600 statues. The reclining Buddha is a Nirvana statue of Sakyamuni, with a total length of 23 meters, a head length of 3 meters and a shoulder width of 3.1 meters. The left side lies on a cliff about 10 meters above the ground. Head east foot West, slender body, thin clothes close to the body, calm expression. There are more than 20 statues of disciples, Bodhisattvas, God kings and strongmen carved on the back of the cave. They have different faces and expressions. The Buddha sits on his waist and faces the audience with his back. There is a strongman standing in front of the Buddha's feet, which is unique to the cave. The statue was carved in the reign of Zhenyuan. Up to now, more than 1000 years ago, the figure is complete, like a huge "one", occupying almost the whole rock waist, which can be regarded as the exquisite stone sculpture of reclining Buddha in Tang Dynasty.

Reclining Buddha

The reclining Buddha has a unique shape, which is contrary to the scene described in the great Nirvana Sutra. The head of the reclining Buddha is exquisitely carved. He wears a small flower bun and a square stone pillow. His eyes are slightly closed. His beautiful face is kind and dignified. It accurately and naturally shows the calm expression of the Sakyamuni before his death. His disciple, Ananda, was sitting in front of his waist. He was facing the head of the reclining Buddha and bowed slightly on his back. He was in a pulse cutting posture, showing his grief when he heard the bad news.

The tall and powerful man standing at his feet was angry and clenched his fist, with a look of tearing the sky and the earth with grief. The upper part of the reclining Buddha shows Sakyamuni's teaching of wills with his disciples and the eight tribes of the Heavenly Dragon. Below the left arm are the 33 incarnations and 32 Yingshen statues of Guanyin Pumen Xingyuan. There are also 30 cm statues of Vimalakirti, pharmacist Buddha, etc. The joy, anger, sadness and joy of the whole statue are distinct and perfectly symmetrical, which reflects the highly developed sculpture culture of the Tang Dynasty.

Yuanjue cave

Yuanjue cave, which is far away from Qianfo village, is located on Yunju mountain, 1km east of the county. There are 103 niches (caves) of Tang and Song Dynasty statues and 1933 statues. The sculpture of the three saints in the West in Song Dynasty is the most wonderful, which was carved from Yuan Fu to Daguan. Mainly in the late Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, the Northern Song Dynasty, a total of 1993 statues.

Yuanjue cave is named after twelve Yuanjue caves. The so-called "round awareness" in Buddhism means that everyone can awaken to Buddhahood regardless of you and me. There are three 7-meter-high stone statues of the "three saints of the west". The "three saints of the west" are the combination of the three most important gods in the Western Paradise, namely Buddha, Bodhisattva and Guanyin. In other places, the three sages in the west combine niches into one, but here they are carved in different niches, which is the unique feature of Anyue stone carvings.

Here, the first thing that catches people's eyes is Guanyin, who is relying on the beautiful Buddha light, stepping on Lotus pistils, holding a pure bottle, as if he is sprinkling the dew in the bottle all over the world.

The middle niche is Amitabha, the leader of the Western Paradise. He has a bright face. His eyes are affectionate but solemn. His mouth is smiling but does not show his teeth. He stands tall and looks down on you kindly. In the right niche, the Bodhisattva's head is covered with a gold-plated corolla inlaid with a small Buddha statue, which is very unique. She is decorated with Yingluo on her chest, hanging on her waist with her elbow, stepping on the lotus platform, and smiling face, which is beautiful and solemn. Her hands intersect, and her right hand holds the lotus bud, which has the potential of turning all living beings over the sea of suffering. The flower bud weighs a hundred Jin and lasts for thousands of years, which is the reason why the sculptor skillfully transfers the gravity to the cassock.

Pilu cave

Piludong stone statue is a provincial cultural relic protection unit announced by Sichuan Provincial People's Government in 1956.

Piludong is located in Tazi mountain, Youping village, chiyun District, Shiyang Town, Southeast of Anyue County, 45 kilometers away from the county. The road from Anyue to Dazu crosses the foot of Tazi mountain. Here, the mountains are emerald and the rocks are steep. Pilu cave is chiseled in these leileixiu stones. Pilu cave is actually the general name of Pilu cave, Youju cave, thousand Buddha cave and Guanyin hall. There are 465 cliff stone statues and 32 inscriptions.

According to the inscriptions in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the stone statues of piludong were created in the late Shu Dynasty of the Five Dynasties, and have been repaired and re carved in successive dynasties. It used to be one of the main monasteries of Tantric Buddhism in Sichuan from the Five Dynasties to the Northern Song Dynasty. In particular, the "water moon Avalokitesvara" carved in Guanyin hall is called "Purple Bamboo Avalokitesvara" by the masses. Han Suying, a British Chinese writer, regards her as "Venus of the East", which is a rare stone carving art treasure of the Northern Song Dynasty in China. This purple bamboo Avalokitesvara, 3 meters high, hangs in the exposed cliff grottoes. She leans back on the embossed purple bamboo and willow net bottle, and wears a rich and luxurious golden corolla; her eyebrows are erect, her eyes are drooping, her nose is slightly raised, and her lips are slightly closed; her upper body is wearing a short sleeve thin robe, her chest is bare, her elbow is bare, and her arms are wearing arm rings. Her Yingluo looks like a golden waterfall flowing with her, and the net falls on her chest; her lower body is as thin as cicada wings, close to her waist and legs, and her dress is elegant and dynamic. She sits on a 3-meter-long curved lotus leaf, slightly on the left side of her upper body; her left hand caresses the leaf surface, her right hand is on her knee, and her five fingers naturally droop; her beautiful barefoot, with her left foot hanging on the lotus stand, gently stepping on the stamens, her right leg bending upward, and stepping on the lotus leaf, is also known as "Guanyin with feet up". Zizhu Guanyin seems to be a graceful, gentle and unrestrained young girl. She not only has the charm of a girl, but also has the appearance of a goddess. She has a strong secular flavor. People also love to call her "romantic Guanyin". Seeing the purple bamboo Avalokitesvara, one has to be impressed by the superb craftsmanship of Song Dynasty sculptors.

In addition, the statues of Liu benzun, the fifth generation founder of esoteric school, carved in Pilu cave and Youju cave are also unique. Especially in the Pilu cave, which is 6.6 meters high, 14 meters wide and 4.5 meters deep, the sculpture of Liu benzun's "ten practices" is rigorous in composition, vivid and easy to understand. It mainly propagates the doctrine of esoteric school through ten kinds of harsh practices: finger training, snow setting, ankle training, eye gouging, ear cutting, top training, arm abandoning, Yin training and knee training. On both sides are engraved with majestic Dharma protectors holding axes and swords. When you come to the cave, you will feel chilly, which makes you feel awed or awed by the holiness of Buddhism. The "ten refining pictures" of piludong are like the comic strips of preaching scriptures. They are valuable material for studying Sichuan Tantric school and researching Liu benzun's life.

Piludong stone sculpture is the crystallization of Buddhist art in Song Dynasty, which has high historical research value and sightseeing value. In July 2001, the State Council announced it as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Thousand Buddha Village

Qianfo village is located on Dayun mountain, 2.5km away from the western suburb of Anyue County. It is named after more than 3000 large and small Buddha statues carved on the cliff of the natural rock village around the top of the mountain. In 1956, the people's Government of Sichuan Province announced Qianfo village as a provincial cultural relic protection unit.

Qianfo village was named Qiyan temple in Tang Dynasty and Qianfo temple in Qing Dynasty. The original Hall of Qianfo temple is 5-fold, which has experienced thousands of years of vicissitudes. It was revived and abandoned several times. In 1974, a mental patient burned the only remaining hall. There is no temple here, only a few thousand statues on the cliff of the village are left, so the masses call it the thousand Buddha village.

The stone sculptures in Qianfo village are magnificent in scale. There are 105 niches of statues, 3061 large and small statues, which are distributed in the northern and southern rocks. The whole statue area is 705 meters long. According to Anyue County annals, the cliff sculptures of Qianfo village began in the 13th year of kaihuang of Sui Dynasty (593 AD). According to the inscriptions, there are "Kaiyuan" and "Tianfu"

Chinese PinYin : An Yue Shi Ke