introduce
Located in Bell Tower Mountain about 50 kilometers northeast of Wushan County, Tianshui City, also known as Big Buddha Cliff, it is the five scenic spots including Xiansheng Pool, Layuo Temple, Thousand Buddha Cave, Shuilian Cave and Sanqing Cave included in the Shuilian Cave Grottoes Group. one. There are winding paths and secluded forests in the mountains, a hundred birds contend, and the empty valley responds, facing Shuilian Cave across the mountain. According to "Wushan County Chronicles", it is said that Kumarajiva used ghosts and axes to pull treetops into mountains, so it got this name.
In the first year of Emperor Yuwen Yuwucheng of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (559 A.D.), Yuchijiong, the governor of Qinzhou, was first built. A large number of grotto art works from the Northern Zhou Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty were preserved in the temple. On a huge cliff, a 40-meter-high Shijia Buddha statue was built in relief sculpture on the cliff. Two-thirds of the cliff face was once a mural, and the existing part is extremely precious.
There are three relief sculptures on the steep cliff, and on both sides are Bodhisattvas standing in bowing posture holding lotus flowers. Next to it is the inscription in ink script in the first year of Wucheng in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. The Buddha sits on the lotus platform, engraved with three rows of lions, deer, and elephants, with 6 lions on the upper level, 9 deer on the middle level, and 9 elephants on the lower level. There are many small Buddha statues of the Song Dynasty standing in the surrounding niches. The upper part of the cliff face protrudes forward, and wind eaves are added to shelter from wind and rain. Flying clouds and animals are carved on the end of the eaves, and copper bells are hung. It is rare in grotto art.
