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.