The cliff sculptures of Dafosi(Giant Buddha Temple), Shehuangmiao(Soil God Temple)and Leishendong(Thunder Deity Cave)localities are located at Tianfo Village in Gaosheng Township in the southeast of Anyue County, Sichuan. In August 2014, the joint archaeological survey team organized by the Department of Archaeology of Sichuan University, Chengdu Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Anyue County Cultural Relics Bureau conducted archaeological survey to these three localities. In total five niches are preserved at Dafosi, in which the figures of Liu Benzun’s Ten Austerities and Avatamsaka Triad are carved. At Shehuangmiao, only one shrine is preserved, in which the figures of the Avatamsaka Triad are carved. At Leishendong, also only one shrine is preserved, in which the figures of Avatamsaka Triad and Thunder Sound Scene(rain-prayer ceremony with figures of the deities of thunder, flash, cloud, rain and wind)are carved. In sum, the sculptures of these three localities are similar to that of the Southern Song Dynasty in Sichuan area in terms of shaping features, figure assemblages, image motifs and sculpturing techniques, therefore their dates would also be the Southern Song Dynasty. The complete publishing of the cliff sculptures of these three localities provides important supplementary materials for the systematic researches on the evolutions of the motifs of Avatamsaka Triad, Liu Benzun’s Ten Austerities, etc.
