In the deep mountains of Jinan, there are unexpectedly stone grottoes from the Tang Dynasty

Shandong Jinan Thousand Buddha Cliff carvings are Chinese Buddhist sculptures from the Tang Dynasty. Thousand Buddha Cliff is located in Liubu of Jinan. Liubu is situated 40 kilometers southeast of Jinan City, Shandong Province. The concentrated carvings are located to the northwest of Simen Tower on the eastern foothills of Baihu Mountain, and are the main remnants of Tang Dynasty Buddhist stone carvings in Shandong Province. On the cliff wall, which is 65 meters long and 8.5 meters high, the main features are cliff niche statues. The layout of Thousand Buddha Cliff includes 6 small caves, with a total of 214 statues of various sizes and 45 inscriptions, among which 10 statues are inscribed with the reign titles such as Wude, Zhenguan, Xianqing, Yongchun, and Wuming. The main figures depicted include members of the Tang royal family, such as Princess Nanping, Prince Zhao Li Fu, and son-in-law Liu Xuan Yi, as well as general officials, monks, nuns, and the public. Inside the cave, there is one seated Buddha with a full and serene face, delicate and flowing robe lines, and skillfully refined carving techniques. The cave was excavated in the second year of Xianqing (657) during the Tang Dynasty, and was created by Princess Nanping to pray for the blessing of her late father, Emperor Taizong of Tang. Her husband, Liu Xuan Yi, who was then the governor of Qizhou, created a statue niche located in the southern part of the central area of Thousand Buddha Cliff. The niche is decorated with a beaded architrave, and the exterior is carved with guardian beasts such as muscular men and lions. Most of the carvings were made in the early Tang Dynasty, with a few from later periods, and are mostly well-preserved. In the northern part of Thousand Buddha Cliff, there are two large caves; the southern cave has a stone pillar in the middle of the entrance, and inside the cave, there are two large Buddhas nearly 3 meters tall, created by Prince Zhao Li Fu, the thirteenth son of Emperor Taizong, in the third year of Xianqing for Emperor Taizong. This group of carvings was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1988.

Post by EtherealMajestic | Jun 24, 2024