Seated Buddha statue accompanied by disciples, bodhisattvas and guardian deities, Niche 10, Beishan Rock Carvings (北山石刻)

This niche is located in Beishan Rock Carvings (北山石刻), Fowan (佛灣), Dazu (大足) District, Chongqing. A seated Buddha statue is depicted on the central wall. The figure is placed on a lotus throne. Its peach-shaped head halo and the oval halo behind its back are decorated with flame patterns. The right hand touches its knee, while the left one is damaged. The face and part of its robe are coated in gold foil. There is an upside down lotus canopy flanked by a bas-relief of feitian 飛天 (Sanskrit: apsaras) above the Buddha statue. An additional pair of feitian is carved on both sides of the budda’s head. The upper part of the central wall is adorned with leaves representing the bodhi tree. Two disciples flank the central Buddha statue. Their palms join together to form an Añjali Mudra (Chinese: heshi 合十). The older disciple on the left of Buddha is probably Mahākāśyapa, while the younger one on the right should be Ānanda. Next to the two disciples are two bodhisattvas. The bodhisattva on the left side wall holds a lotus flower, while the one on the right side shows an Añjali Mudra. The headdresses of both bodhisattvas are coated in gold foil. On each side wall, five seated buddha images, two standing guardian deities and two standing guardian kings are depicted from top to bottom. The images on the left side wall are better preserved. Descriptions of the photos: Niche 10 and the surrounding environment [1] Right side of Niche 10 and surrounding environment [2] Left side of Niche 10 and surrounding environment [3] Overview of Niche 10 [4] Close-up of the central wall [5] Left side wall [6] Right side wall [7] Five buddha images on left side wall [8] Feitian on left side of central Buddha image [9] Feitian on right side of central Buddha image [10] Five buddha images on right side wall [11] Guardian kings at bottom of right side wall [12] Guardian kings at bottom of left side wall [13] Metadata created by: Sau Ling Wendy Yu.Non UBCUnreviewedAuthor Affiliations: Ghent UniversityFacult