The current location of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin Statue

There are many well-preserved Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara statues in Sichuan Grottoes. The Wofo Valley and Thousand Buddha Village in Anyue, Luohan Cave in Fushun, Chonglong Mountain in Zizhong, Thousand Buddha Rock in Jiajiang, and the stone Thousand-Hand Avalokitesvara statues in Dazu Baoding and Beishan are all outstanding works. Among them, Niches No. 9 and 273 of Buddha Bay in Dazu Beishan Grottoes and Niche No. 8 of Dafo Bay in Baoding Grottoes are more representative.

The Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara statue in niche No. 9 of Fowan Grottoes in Beishan was excavated in the late Tang Dynasty. The niche is 2.9 meters high, 2.8 meters wide and 0.9 meters deep. The Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara on the main wall of the niche wears a flower crown, with a transformed Buddha in the crown. Two rays of light erupted from his body, shooting towards the top of the niche on the left and right, lingering on the two flying sky. Decorated with a necklace on his chest, he is dressed in celestial robes, with his feet on lotuses, sitting in lotus position on a Vajra throne. The Vajra throne is plain, square, 1.1 meters high, 1.5 meters wide, and 0.5 meters thick. With forty-two hands (mostly broken), the two hands on the shoulders are put together to support a sitting Buddha on the top of the crown. The hands are put together in front of the chest. The lower hands are placed under the abdomen. The lower hands are placed on the knees to perform meditation. The other hands are holding bottles. , bells, wheels, mirrors, bows, oaks, shields and other magical instruments. The back supports a peach-shaped body, with flame patterns engraved on the outer edge, and multiple arms engraved on the inner edge to show thousands of hands. One eye on each palm to indicate dry eyes. An old man is kneeling on the right side of the Guanyin Seat. He is skinny and holding a bag in his hand, as if asking for something. On the left side is a hungry ghost kneeling, holding a bowl in both hands, as if begging for food.

There are three layers of statues on the left and right walls of the niche. On the inner side of the upper layer are engraved five Buddhas standing on clouds, namely the Buddhas of the ten directions. On the outside are engraved the god of thunder with a sheep's head, the rain master holding Buddha dust, the god of wind holding a wind bag, and the mother of lightning hanging a mirror. The middle layer is engraved with Manjusri riding on the back of a blue lion, Samantabhadra riding on the back of a white elephant, and Mojisura and Kumarajiva riding on the back of an ox. The lower level is each carved with a Bodhisattva, two attendants and two Vajra statues.

Niche No. 273 of Fowan in Beishan Grottoes was carved in the Five Dynasties. The niche is 1.1 meters high, 1.1 meters wide and 0.73 meters deep. The main statue of the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara in the niche is basically the same as the sculpture model of the aforementioned niche No. 9. The difference is that the statues on the left and right walls of this niche are far less rich than those in Niche No. 9, with only one male and female waiter engraved on each. The waitress stands, holding something. The male attendant is a Persian fairy, with a height of 0.45 meters and a shoulder width of 0.13 meters. He has a high nose and deep eyes, a long beard and a slim figure, and looks like a Buddhist figure. He holds a long staff in his left hand and a string of beads in his right hand. In addition, there is a flying sky on the left and right sides of the flat lotus-shaped treasure cover on the top wall of the niche, with graceful posture.

The Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara in niche No. 8 of Dafo Bay in Baoding Grottoes covers the Dabei Pavilion at the east end of Nanyan. It was carved in the Southern Song Dynasty and is the pinnacle of its similar theme.

This niche is a Moyan niche with large oval shapes on the left and right sides. The niche is 7.2 meters high and 12.5 meters wide, with a cliff surface of 88 square meters. The main statue, Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, is 3 meters high and sits in lotus position. The base is in Vajra Sumeru style, 0.7 meters high. Four powerful men lift their seats to the left and right, Guanyin's forehead is opened with one eye open, eight small Buddhas are decorated on the crown, two ribbons hang from the top of the crown to the shoulders, and the eight hands on the chest are either clasped together, applying seals, or touching the knees. Guanyin looks down with wise eyes, has a kind face, and has a compassionate heart to save all sentient beings from suffering.

There is a male statue on the left side of Guanyin, wearing a cross-collared wide-sleeved robe, a square scarf, and holding a wat. On the left is a female statue, wearing a crown, a pig's head, and a round-collared Confucian uniform. There is a female statue on the right side of Guanyin, holding something in her hands and wearing a long dress with a round collar and wide sleeves. On the right is a female figure with an elephant head on her head. In the lower left corner of the niche, an old man is kneeling on the ground, holding a pocket in his hand, and Guanyin has a copper coin in his hand to give out. In the lower right corner is a hungry ghost kneeling, holding a bowl in both hands, and Guanyin is offering food in one palm.

The most eye-catching thing is that on the left and right sides of Guanyin and above the head, there are what appear to be countless golden hands embossed in a radiating pattern like a peacock spreading its tail, and each palm is There is an eye in the heart and an object in each hand. Its posture may be extended, bent, upright, or sideways, making it appear rounded and resplendent, giving people a sense of dizziness.