Pilu Cave (Purple Bamboo Guanyin)
毗卢洞
A Song-dynasty rock grotto famed for its 'Purple Bamboo Guanyin,' a relaxed, cross-legged bodhisattva hailed as the 'most beautiful Guanyin in the East' and the most celebrated of Anyue's stone carvings.
Pilu Cave lies about 40 km southeast of Anyue County town, in Shiyang Town, and was carved between the Northern and Southern Song dynasties. Its main features include the Ten Trials of Liu Benzun, a Vairocana niche and the Guanyin Hall. The Water-Moon Guanyin in the Guanyin Hall, popularly known as the 'Purple Bamboo Guanyin,' shows the bodhisattva wearing a flower crown, her left foot resting on a lotus and her right foot raised, with purple bamboo carved behind her. Her pose is carefree and graceful, making her the most representative work of Anyue's stone carvings, and she is hailed as the 'most beautiful Guanyin in the East.' The Ten Trials of Liu Benzun can be compared with carvings on the same theme at Baoding Mountain in Dazu. The site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Admission prices follow on-site notices. Combined with nearby Huayan Cave, Mingshan Temple and Peacock Cave, it makes a one-day tour of the Shiyang area. Most carvings are open-air cliff carvings, so touching, climbing and flash photography are prohibited. The sites are quite far apart, so driving yourself or hiring a car in the county town is recommended.
Opening hours
About 08:30–17:30
Nearby sights
- Huayan Cave
- Mingshan Temple Rock Carvings
- Kongque Cave & Baoguo Temple
- Gaosheng Giant Buddha
- Anyue Lemon Orchards
- Tongnan Great Buddha Temple
- Yuanjue Cave Grottoes
- Anyue Confucian Temple & Kuige Pavilion