Journey to the Ancient Times – The Thousand Buddha Cliff Grottoes at Qixia Temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu (Grade 5 National Heritage)

The Thousand Buddha Cliff Grottoes are located at the foot of Qixia Mountain in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. From Qixia Temple to Shamao Peak, the grottoes were carved starting from the Southern Dynasties of Song and Qi, with the majority being from the Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty under Ru Luan. In the seventh year of Yongming of the Qi Dynasty (489), the Buddhist monk Shao's second son, Ming Zhongzhang, the magistrate of Linyi County, continued his father's will and, together with Master Fadu, created the 'Three Saints' statues on the western peak of Qixia Mountain. By the tenth year of Tianjian of the Liang Dynasty (511), the work was completed in succession. There are now more than 250 grotto niches, with about 515 Buddha statues, hence the name Thousand Buddha Cliff. It is said to be the only Southern Dynasty grotto in China. Successive excavations were carried out in the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. The largest grotto is the Great Buddha Pavilion (also known as the Three Saints Hall) from the Southern Dynasties, with an elliptical plan, a domed ceiling, and round-carved Buddha statues. The main statue, including its base, is 9.31 meters tall, flanked by statues of Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, each 6.81 meters tall. The second largest niche also dates back to the Southern Dynasties. Many medium and small niches are located near the two large grottoes, with Maitreya Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Thousand Buddhas as the main subjects, mostly from the Southern Dynasties as well. The Tang niches are mostly medium and small-sized niches and Thousand Buddha niches, situated high up to the northwest of the Southern Dynasty niches. The Thousand Buddha Cliff Grottoes at Qixia Mountain are the earliest and largest Southern and Northern Dynasties grotto temple ruins in southern China, with a large number of Tang Dynasty grottoes and rich thematic sculptures, making it the largest of its kind from the same period in the south. The Song and Ming dynasties also added inscriptions and repairs. The cliff wall has five levels, with the largest Buddhas several meters tall and the smallest just over a foot. Some niches contain five or six statues, others seven or eight, resembling beehives or pigeon coops, thus earning the name Thousand Buddha Cliff. There are also inscriptions by the Southern Tang calligraphers Xu Xuan and Xu Kai, the Song Dynasty's You Jiuyan's inscription 'Ancient Thousand Buddha Rock at Qixia Temple', and inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty's restoration of the Buddha niches.