Dazu Grottoes

The Dazu Grottoes are in Dazu County, 165 kilometers from the Chongqing metropolitan area. The grottoes spread across more than 40 sites and contain over 50,000 stone sculptures, carved from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) through the Song Dynasty (960-1279). They are primarily Buddhist cave sculptures noted for unusual domestic detail as well as purely religious themes. The most splendid and representative grottoes are located on Beishan (Northern) Mountain and Baoding (Treasure Peak) Mountain.

The Beishan sculptures and inscriptions, lcated 2km northwest of Dazu County town include over 5,000 figures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in various poses; they are famous for their elegance and exquisiteness. Grotto 136 is the best preserved of the grottoes on Beishan Mountain, and the carvings in the grotto are the best of the Song Dynasty. The most famous carving on Beishan Mountain is the three-quarter-frontal relief Guanyin Holding a String of Beads in Her Hand, also known as Charming Guanyin.

The Baodingshan sculptures and inscriptions, located 15km northeast of Dazu town, were carved during the Southern Sung Dynasty and are the only extant Buddhist Secret Sect Bodhimandala carved on stone in China. Baodingshan figures are centered around a magnificent 100-foot reclining Buddha. More than 10,000 figures were carved and inscribed along a nearly 400 m long U-shaped cliff bend, very much like a long picture-story scroll.

The sculptures of the Dazu Grottoes are a shining pearl among the ancient stone sculptures of China. In late 1999 UNESCO listed Dazu Stone Carvings as a world cultural heritage .


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