Huayan Cave
华严洞
A large cave carved in the Song dynasty. The main wall features the Huayan Trinity, surrounded on both sides by ten bodhisattvas. Its spacious interior and exquisite images earn it the name “palace of stone-carving art.”
Huayan Cave is near Shiyang Town. Carved in the Northern Song, it is a large flat-roofed cave more than 10 meters both wide and deep. The main wall shows the Huayan Trinity: Vairocana Buddha flanked by Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas. On each side wall sit five Yuanjue Bodhisattvas, with intricately carved garments and crowns that are well preserved. It is an outstanding example of Song-dynasty cave sculpture in central Sichuan, and it is not far from Piluo Cave. The site is a national key cultural heritage protection unit, and admission follows on-site notices. The cave interior is dim, so do not use flash when photographing. Most carvings are open-air cliff carvings. Touching, climbing and flash photography are prohibited. The sites are quite far apart, so self-driving or hiring a car in town is recommended.
Opening hours
About 08:30–17:30
Nearby sights
- Pilu Cave (Purple Bamboo Guanyin)
- Mingshan Temple Rock Carvings
- Kongque Cave & Baoguo Temple
- Gaosheng Giant Buddha
- Tongnan Great Buddha Temple
- Anyue Lemon Orchards
- Yuanjue Cave Grottoes
- Anyue Confucian Temple & Kuige Pavilion