General situation of stone Buddhist temple

According to the records of old local chronicles and local legends, the Stone Buddha Temple was once the "Stone Buddha Songtao" among the eight scenic spots in Liaozhou (formerly known as Zuoquan County), with 12 courtyards. It was destroyed in the 1930s and gradually reduced to ruins, ready for farmers to cultivate. Due to the long-term inundation and the destruction of the Stone Buddha Temple, the whereabouts of the two caves left behind are unknown. Since 1980s, these two grottoes have reappeared in front of the world after detailed investigation by the local geographical names office and the cultural relics department. Now there are two grottoes, which are located in the west and adjacent to the north and south. It can be seen from the many rafters and four rectangular deep holes on the rocks outside the grottoes that the original wooden buildings covered the grottoes.

North cave, slightly square in plane, with three walls and three niches, the main room covers an area of 7.5 square meters. The cave entrance is dome-shaped, with two lux statues on both sides, bursting muscles and lunging. On the front is the statue of Sakyamuni, 0.88 meters high, wearing cassock and sitting on Sumeru. There are two disciples, Ye Jia and Ananda, and two other bodhisattvas carved outside the niche. There are statues of Vimalakīrti and Manjusri Bodhisattva on both sides of the upper part of the niche, and there are statues of supporters beside the stone incense burner on the lower part. There is a sitting statue of Thinking Bodhisattva carved in the niche on the left, which is1.24m high. Hold your right foot with your left hand down, and raise your right hand to support your forehead for thinking. There are statues of bodhisattvas on both sides outside the niche; There are two rows of small shrines in the upper part of the niche, in which thousands of buddhas are carved, and there are 1 1 sacrificial figures beside the stone incense burner in the lower part. There is a statue of Maitreya carved in the niche on the right, which is 1.26 meters high and leans barefoot against sumeru; There are Buddha statues on both sides outside the niche; There are thousands of shrines in the upper part, and there are stone incense burners and nine patron saints in the lower part. There are many algae wells, flying clouds and reliefs on the top and wall of this cave.

The plane of the South Cave is slightly trapezoidal, the top is shaped like a figure of eight, the portal is domed, and it is also shaped like three walls and three niches. The main room covers an area of 7.8 square meters. There are 1 1 statues, 2 sculptures of heavenly kings and 4 flying bodies in the cave. The carving technique of this cave is very different from that of the northern caves, and it has the characteristics of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Experts believe that it was carved by imitating the layout of the North Cave in the Five Dynasties.