We took a two hour bus ride from Chongqing to see the Dazu Buddhist rock carvings. They date as far back as the 7th century AD and became enlisted as a World Heritage Site in 1999. I was flooded with memories of visiting the Buddhist rock cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora in India several years back; yet the imagery here at Dazu was decidedly Chinese for sure. You can see the influence of Taoism and Confuscious teachings within the Buddhist imagery; which gives a glimpse of how linked these three religions were and still are in China. Again, I was reminded of how Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism seemed to often commingle in India. The two largest carvings were undergoing renovations, but you can see the grandiose scale of the reclining/sleeping Buddha in the picture above.
Sakyamuni Buddha
The Wheel of Life...birth, death, rebirth...re-incarnation...all radiating from the Buddha center...
Inside one of the carved out niches
Look how long and curvy his fingers are!
Giant incense for sale outside the temple by the exit...
Incense? More like intense!
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