. esoteric buddhist art under the tang 405
later periods, and none of them hold any religious images or objects
that date as far back as the Tang. Hence they are largely irrelevant to
the present discussion.
In 1959 an archaeological survey of the ruined site of Anguo Tem-
ple in X’ian revealed a hoard of fragmented but high-quality
Esoteric Buddhist images in white marble.^6 The temple was originally
constructed in 710 C.E. and in the course of the eighth century became
an important center of Esoteric Buddhism in the western capital. The
time of its destruction is not known, and it was formerly believed
to have taken place during the Huichang Suppression of Buddhism
around 846 C.E. However, there are indications that it happened at
a later date, most likely during the upheavals half a century later that
engulfed the region around Chang’an at the close of the Tang.^7 Among
the images and sculptural fragments recovered from the site are those
of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and vidyārājas, which clearly reveal the
Esoteric Buddhist context that produced them. The latter images are
particularly noteworthy as they may be one of the earliest ensem-
bles of Esoteric Buddhist protectors including images of Vajrapāṇi,
Ucchusma, Trailokyavijaya, and Acala carved in a uniform style con-̣
nected with the mature Zhenyan tradition of the mid-Tang.^8 Various
speculations as to the function and ritual role of the Anguo Temple
images have been put forward.^9 However, there can be little doubt that
most of them once formed part of a large, three-dimensional mandala,
possibly representing that of the Dharmadhātu.
Esoteric Buddhist Art at Famen Temple
Famen Temple in Fufeng county, some one hundred kilome-
ters to the west of modern Xi’an, is famous for its Buddhist relics,
(^6) For the original report, see Cheng 1961, 63. See also Brinker and Goepper 1981,
212–222. Here the images have been dated to ca. 760 C.E. An additional photo can
be found in Matsubara and Akayama 1969, 165, pl. 156. For a full list of these sculp-
tures together with photos, see Li Yuqing 1995, 86–91. A recent update on the Anguo
sculptures can be found in Jin 2003, 34–39.
(^7) Chang’an was almost completely destroyed during the Huangchao Rebellion,
which ravished Shaanxi province in 880 C.E. See Twitchett and Fairbank 1979, 745–
- 8
In other words, the style and iconography that has been transmitted via the Shin-
gon school in Japan. Cf. Cheng 1961, pls. 5–10. 9
For these, see Li Yuqing 1995, 86–91 and Jin 2003, 34–39.