Cave 135 is located in the upper east of the West Cliff and is one of the three caves of the Maijishan Grottoes. On the left side of the middle of the cave is a granite stone sculpture of one Buddha and two bodhisattvas, which may have been moved into the cave from elsewhere, but there is no clear record of where it was moved in and why.
The main Buddha in the middle is 1.90 meters high, with monk branches inside, two plackets and sagging ties in the middle, a double collar and a drooping robe on the outside, a lotus flower with feet, and the lotus petals are full and pointed, although the stone is hard, but due to the exquisite carving skills of the craftsmen, it well shows the soft texture and vitality of the lotus flower.
The Buddha's face is square, the top is swirling and high fleshy bun, the eyebrows are thin and the sideburns are inserted, the eyes are slightly open, and the lips are full.
The left hand makes a fearless seal, the palm of the hand droops independently, which is very unfavorable to the force of the stone carving work, it is easy to damage, in order to solve this problem, the ancient craftsmen carved a lotus flower between the back of the hand and the sleeve, and carved a lotus seed between the thumb and forefinger, which not only solved the problem of force, but also played a modified role.
The left and right bodhisattvas are both 1.42 meters high, 0.40 meters wide, and 0.20 meters thick, and their heads have been lost. The upper body is exposed, under the long skirt, the neck belt collar, the chest hangs grain ears, the flowers are interspersed with long jewels, the shoulders are draped with ribbons, and the feet stand on the lotus platform.
The glitch and the ribbon are crossed and looped in front of the abdomen, and there are round ornaments on the shoulders; the wrist is worn with a ring, and the peach-shaped jade bi is placed on the ventral side in one hand, and the flower is bent in the other hand. Beautifully carved, dynamic and natural, the texture is plump and delicate, seemingly elastic, the fingers are slender, and the nails are clearly visible. After a long period of touching by tourists, the oil can be learned.
Photo/Text: Lei Wang