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Liubei Temple Buddha Hall: Stele
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Liubei Temple Buddha Hall: Stele
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Liubei Temple Buddha Hall: Stele
CHINA, Henan, Zhengzhou; Northern Qi dynasty (550–577), dated 557; Commissioned by Commissioned by Liu Fangxing; Limestone; 317 x 146 cm
Liubei means Liu Stele. The temple was named after this stele. An inscription gives the year of the stele’s construction as 557 under the sponsorship of the Liu family led by Liu Fangxing. Later a temple was built around it and it was listed as an Important Heritage Site in 2006.
The stele has carvings on all four sides. On the curved top, there are six intertwining dragons framing an arched niche that houses a Buddha flanked by Bodhisattvas. The body of the stele has three vertical sections in which there are more niches of varying sizes that house Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, with the names of the sponsoring family members inscribed beneath. The back and sides are carved to match the same design.
The front and sides of the base feature twelve shallow niches, each housing a different Heavenly King, while the Syama Jataka is carved on the reverse. |
