Maiji Mountain Grottoes: A Hidden Gem of Buddhist Art

Also known as the Upper Seven Buddhas Hall, it is the most magnificent and grand cave at Maiji Mountain Grottoes. The cave measures 31.7 meters wide, 16 meters high, and 13 meters deep. Originally constructed as a large palace-style cave with seven bays and eight pillars, it was built by Li Chongxin, the grand supervisor of Qin州 during the Northern Zhou dynasty, for the blessing of his grandfather. The entire cave is built into the mountain, featuring a hip-and-gable roof with ridges, finials, and roof tiles carved directly into the rock. The lower section has seven arched niches, each with a four-cornered pointed tent shape, adorned with elaborate decorations including flame pearls, scale-like network ornamentation, and hanging curtains. Dragons, phoenixes, and elephant heads are sculpted at both ends, symbolizing auspicious animals with tassels in their mouths hanging down (Figure 1).

Each niche contains one Buddha, totaling seven Buddhas. The front facade has eight large stone columns, each 7.3 meters tall and 1.2 meters in diameter, with lotus-shaped bases, large capitals, and various architectural elements like brackets and beams. The ceiling is divided into six sections per bay, showcasing intricate craftsmanship and grandeur. It is the largest among Chinese grottoes designed to mimic a palace, surpassing similar structures in Dunhuang, Yungang, Longmen, and Tianlongshan in both scale and detail. The labor involved in its creation is beyond measure. Unfortunately, a massive earthquake in the year 600 during the Sui Dynasty’s Kaihuang 20th year caused the collapse of six central columns and the roof, leaving only the columns on the east and west sides adjacent to the mountain and a small portion of the ceiling. Yet, one can still imagine the former grandeur from the remnants.

Upon completion, Li Chongxin commissioned the famous literatus Yuxin to write an inscription for this cave, resulting in the renowned “Inscription and Preface for the Buddha Niches at Maijishan in Tianshui, Qinzhou.” This inscription is written in parallel prose, employing various rhetorical devices, making it a classic work for its elegance and sophistication. This cave is the only one in China with an inscription by a famous scholar, leading Tianshui scholar Feng Guorui to comment in his “Maijishan Grottoes Chronicles” that “Yuxin’s single inscription makes the rock shine brightly,” illuminating the world like no other, even surpassing the wonders at Longmen and Yique. Yu Youren, from Chongqing, was deeply impressed by the ancient art and Yuxin’s inscription after reading about it, and he wrote a couplet for Maijishan Grottoes, “Art parallels Mogao Caves, Literature from Yuxin,” highly praising its art.

Due to the earthquake damage, the large statues inside and outside the niches are not from the Northern Zhou period but were restored during the Northern Song Dynasty. The central niche features one Buddha with two disciples and six bodhisattvas; others have one Buddha and eight bodhisattvas, but the shadow reliefs of a thousand Buddhas on the upper walls of each niche are from the Northern Zhou, known for their fine detail. Between every two niches, eight guardian figures, known as “Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons,” are sculpted to protect the Buddhist law.

On both sides of the cave, two guardian Vajra warriors from the Northern Song are depicted, over four meters tall, bare-chested, wearing battle skirts. One holds a vajra scepter, glaring and open-mouthed as if shooing away evil spirits and fools; the other clenches his fists, lips sealed, eyes fierce, ready to unleash his superhuman strength against malevolent forces. These sculptures are robust, dynamic, and are considered masterpieces of Song Dynasty sculpture. Above these figures, smaller niches hold statues of an old man and a bodhisattva, representing the debate between Manjushri and Vimalakirti.

Above the seven Buddha niches are murals depicting flying apsaras from the Northern Zhou, untouched by later restorations. Each mural, 3.5 meters wide and 1.9 meters high, features four flying figures, paired in flight (Figure 2). These apsaras play instruments or hold offerings, with their exposed parts like faces, arms, and feet sculpted in bas-relief, no more than 5mm thick, while the rest is painted. This “thin plaster flying apsaras” technique uniquely blends sculpture with painting, creating a seamless and synergistic artistic effect, making the figures appear to emerge from the wall. The lines are fluid, giving a sense of movement and vitality, an artistic achievement not replicated elsewhere in China.

The remaining murals within the grid on the ceiling of the east and west sides are also from the Northern Zhou, preserved due to lack of direct sunlight and rain exposure, and the stability of the natural pigments used. One grid shows an urban scene with a clear depiction of city walls, gates, towers, and another an elegant courtyard, both rendered with boundary painting techniques, showcasing mature architectural drawing skills for that time. Another grid features a procession of carriages and horses, viewed from below, with an ingenious use of both focused and dispersed perspective to eliminate visual distortion, creating an almost magical effect where the horse seems to move in different directions depending on the viewer’s angle.

This cave, besides being called the Upper Seven Buddhas Hall, is also popularly known as “Scattering Flowers Building,” stemming from a Buddhist story where Vimalakirti challenged Manjushri with a test of disciples’ purity by scattering red petals. Instead of falling on the impure, the petals rose into the sky, proving all disciples’ sincerity. Today, on clear days, throwing paper scraps from the walkway results in them rising rather than falling, adding a mystical aura to the place.

Four plaques hang above the niches, reading “Holy Sage from the West,” “Bodhi Ground,” “Universal Light of Wisdom,” and “There is No Equal,” all praising the Buddha. The last one, “There is No Equal,” was written by Wang Liaowang, a famous calligrapher from the Gansu-Shaanxi region during the early Qing dynasty, and the phrase comes from the Heart Sutra.