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Dazu Rock Carvings
By UNESCO website |
October 14, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE steep hillsides in the Dazu area, near Chongqing Municipal in southwest China contain an exceptional series of five clusters of rock carvings dating from the ninth to 13th centuries.
Standing as examples of the highest level of Chinese cave temple art during the time, the Dazu Rock Carvings not only underline the harmonious coexistence in China of three different religions: Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, but also provide material proof that cave temple art has increasingly shed light on everyday life.
The largest cluster at Beishan contains two groups along a cliff face 7-10m high, stretching for around 300 meters. There are more than 10,000 carvings which depict themes of Tantric Buddhism and Taoism.
The late 11th-century Song dynasty carvings at Shizhuanshan extend over 130m and depict Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian images in a rare tripartite arrangement.
The Song dynasty carvings at Shimenshan, dating from the first half of the 12th century, extend along 72m and integrate Buddhist and Taoist subjects, while at Nanshan, the Song dynasty carvings of the 12th century extend over a length of 86m and depict mostly Taoist subjects.
The culmination in terms of expression of Tantric Buddhism is found in the U-shaped gorge at Baodingshan which contains two groups of carvings dating from the late 12th to the mid-13th century.
In 1999, the Dazu Rock Carving was ranked as a World Cultural Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
Standing as examples of the highest level of Chinese cave temple art during the time, the Dazu Rock Carvings not only underline the harmonious coexistence in China of three different religions: Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, but also provide material proof that cave temple art has increasingly shed light on everyday life.
The largest cluster at Beishan contains two groups along a cliff face 7-10m high, stretching for around 300 meters. There are more than 10,000 carvings which depict themes of Tantric Buddhism and Taoism.
The late 11th-century Song dynasty carvings at Shizhuanshan extend over 130m and depict Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian images in a rare tripartite arrangement.
The Song dynasty carvings at Shimenshan, dating from the first half of the 12th century, extend along 72m and integrate Buddhist and Taoist subjects, while at Nanshan, the Song dynasty carvings of the 12th century extend over a length of 86m and depict mostly Taoist subjects.
The culmination in terms of expression of Tantric Buddhism is found in the U-shaped gorge at Baodingshan which contains two groups of carvings dating from the late 12th to the mid-13th century.
In 1999, the Dazu Rock Carving was ranked as a World Cultural Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
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