The Cliffside Statues of the Wofo Temple are located in
Wofogou, Bamiao Village, north of Anyue County, Sichuan Province.
The Wofo Temple has been destroyed, with only Buddha statues and niches for
Buddhist scriptures remaining. In Wofogou there are 1,611 stone statues, 15
niches for Buddhist scriptures, one stele from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), one
stele from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), five pagodas, five inscriptions and 39
incomplete niches for Buddhist scriptures that cover an area of 865 square
meters.
Carved on the northern cliff of the Wofo Temple is a 23-meter-long statue of
the reclining Buddha -- the biggest in the area. The Buddha looks elegant and
kind with the smoothly engraved lines. On the foot of the Buddha stands a
warrior brandishing a sword. At Buddha's waist is a meditating disciple with
pictures of Manjusri Bodhisattva on a black lion and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva
on a white elephant below. The upper part of the Buddha was carved with images
of other Buddha, Bodhisattvas and disciples.
On the cliffs south of Wofogou are 15 various niches for Buddhist scriptures
that are rich in content. The niches cover 154 square meters and include over
400,000 engraved Chinese characters. The carvings of the Buddhist scriptures
provide important references for the study of the history of Buddhism and the
art of calligraphy in China.