When it comes to Dunhuang, the most praised is the art of grottoes, and the art of painted sculptures and murals has reached the pinnacle of perfection, which is a precious national treasure of the country and even the world. But you know what? In Sichuan, there is such a grotto, exquisite landscaping, a long history, no loss of the beautiful Dunhuang, known as the hometown of Chinese stone carving art, but few people know, can not help but sigh, this grotto is Anyue stone carving.
Located in Anyue County, Sichuan Province, the Anyue Stone Carvings are a national tangible cultural heritage. The carving is old and can be traced back to the stone carving image in the tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to historical records, it began to rise in the Northern and Southern Periods, and reached its peak in the Tang and Song Dynasties, counting, it has a history of more than 1300 years, precipitating traces of history.
The grottoes have several "bests", such as the largest Stone Carved Reclining Buddha on the left side of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the 210,000-character stone carved Buddhist scriptures, China's most exquisite Guanyin Sutra transfiguration ----- the Pilu Cave Northern Song Zizhu Guanyin, as well as the tang Dynasty's largest Taoist stone carving group ------ Xuanmiao Temple, and the five most concentrated grotto groups ------ Antang Temple, etc., all of which embody the wisdom of the ancient working people.
The content of Anyue stone carvings is mainly Buddhist statues, there are a small number of Taoist statues, there are also depictions of social real life, the image is rich, subtle and vivid. The entire grotto is divided into several attractions. Among them, the Reclining Buddha Temple is the most eye-catching. It is a national key cultural relics protection unit, with more than 100 large and small niches. The reclining Buddha is a statue of Shakyamuni Nirvana, with a slender head and a slender body, a solemn and lifelike appearance.
The reclining Buddha has a unique shape, which is contrary to the scene narrated in the Great Nirvana Sutra. The head is exquisitely carved, the face is beautiful, the eyes are slightly closed, and it accurately and naturally shows the calm expression of the Shijia Muni before the extinction. Sitting in front of his waist was a disciple, facing the head of the reclining Buddha, with his back slightly bowed, vividly expressing the disciple's grief at hearing the bad news.
The cave is beautifully laid out and is named after the twelve senses. The so-called "enlightenment" means "those who are aware of you, who are aware of me, who are aware of him, who are aware of him, and who are full of enlightenment", in layman's terms, that is, regardless of you or me, everyone can awaken to become a Buddha. There is also a unique feature here, that is, the "Three Sacred Spirits of the West", that is, Buddha, Bodhisattva, and Guanyin, the three highest-ranking gods in the Western paradise world, are carved in separate niches, and are generally combined into one niche in other places.
In addition, there are Pilu Cave, Thousand Buddha Village, Huayan Cave, Mingshan Temple, Peacock Cave, Xuanmiao Temple, Mumen Temple and so on. The scale of the Thousand Buddhas Village is magnificent and the carving skills are exquisite. Mingshan Temple is a mountain-type scenic tourist area that integrates stone carving culture, mountaineering and scenery, and curiosity.
(The picture in the article comes from Ctrip's contracted traveler @Pompom and Yingying)