Nank'an Cliffside Grottoes

The cliff carvings of Nank'an in Bazhong are located in the belly of Huacheng Mountain, which began in the Northern and Southern Dynasties during the Liang and Wei periods, continued to be carved in the Sui Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and after successive dynasties of augmentation, have gradually formed the grotto group we see today, resplendent and exquisite, lined up in close succession. It was first called Nank'an Temple, also known as Guangfu Temple. Guangfu Temple was decreed in the second year of Qianyuan of Emperor Suzong of Tang (759 AD). The carvings are mainly distributed around Yunping Stone, Shanmen Stone, and the area of the Great Buddha Cave, with large and small niches dense like a honeycomb. There are currently 176 niches with more than 2000 statues. In addition, there are over 200 inscriptions of poems and texts.