5.1 Studied site
Niche of Sakyamuni Entering Nirvana is located in the Dazu District of Chongqing, China (Fig. 1). Its dimensions are 31.60 m in length, 4.46 m in depth, and 6.72 m in height (shown in Fig. 2.). It can be divided into three parts, i.e., upper, middle and lower parts. The Sleeping Buddha lies in the middle part. The lower part (i.e., below the Sleeping Buddha) consists of four Kings, the Emperor, and 13 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, while the upper part (standing on the top of Sleeping Buddha) includes nine maid statues standing on clouds.