Chinanews, Shijiazhuang, Jan. 1 – In a rescue excavation1 work, archeologists recently discovered a large cave in the Houdige relic2 site in Nangong City, Hebei Province. The cave was used to bury Buddhist3 statues from the Northern Dynasties period (386 - 581) to the Tang Dynasty (618 -907). Lots of finely-made Buddhist stone statues were also unearthed4.
The stone statues are carved into different images, including Buddha5, the Goddess of Mercy, flying Apsaras, and Buddha sitting on a lotus throne. They are made by white marbles, stones, and pottery6. Most of the Buddhas7 are made of white marble with a high quality. The color of the marble is pure and Buddha statues all wear a dignified8 expression. With great skills, the shapes of the clothes worn by the Buddhas are carved with the veins9 of the stones. The stone statues are painted with different colors and carved with scripts.
The Houdige relic site used to be a village from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty period. Most of the stone statues brought to light are related with Buddhist religion. Nangong City is the Hebei-Shandong-Henan border region. The Putong Temple and Putong Pagoda10, in Nangong City were built in 67 A.D., even one year earlier than the famous Baima (white horse) Temple in Luoyang, Henan Province, an archeologist said.
The Houdige relic site was another important Buddhist religious find made in Hebei Province. During the 1950s, a Buddhist temple, Xiude, was discovered in Quyang County in Hebei.
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