Pilu Cave

Perhaps the most exquisite and best-preserved cave is Pilu Cave. Founded in the early Song Dynasty, it is located on Mount Tazi in Shiyang Town, more than 50 kilometers southeast of the Anyue County. A provincial highway between Anyue County and Dazu County passes nearby.

About 6.6 meters high, 14 meters wide, and 4.6 meters deep, Pilu Cave has 14 niche-grottos with 465 statues. The most exquisite statue is the "Purple Bamboo Guanyin" in Grotto 19.

Another special grotto is the one with statues depicting Liu Benzun as a lay Buddhist who devised 10 methods to cultivate himself to attain Buddha status. Ten carvings show Liu Benzun standing barefoot in snow, gouging out his eyes, cutting off his ears and arms, and so on. In each picture, Liu Benzun is depicted as the main figure, with smaller Heavenly Kings, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and officials watching. The prominence given to Liu Benzun makes the carvings even more graphic.

  Huayan Cave

Originated in the Song Dynasty, Huayan Cave is located on Mount Xianggai in Chiyun Village, which is 6 kilometers east of Pilu Cave. It preserves two large niche-grottos housing 159 statues, including the "Three Huayan Kings," "Ten Stages of Mahayana Bodhisattva Development," and "Fifty-three Visits of Sudhana." Also, there is a grotto reflecting a combination of Buddhism , Daoism, and Confucianism. The statues in Huayan Cave are of the highest quality in Anyue and have important status in Chinese art history.

  Mingshan Temple

Mingshan Temple, located on Mount Hutou in Minyue Village, is 69 kilometers southeast of the Anyue County. Founded in the Song Dynasty, Mingshan Temple has over 20 niche-grottos with 63 statues and 23 stele inscriptions, including "Virocina Buddha," "Guanyin," "Mahasthama," "Manjusri," "Twelve Lokapalas," "Virocina Buddha Accompanying Emperor of East Peak," and so on.

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