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Chinese history
People & CultureSocial Welfare

Chinese collection of 500,000 Tibetan Buddhist rock engravings recognised as world’s largest

  • The stones are part of a tradition that dates back 500 years in the Rantang area in Sichuan province
  • They are adorned with Sanskrit sutras, images for good luck and beautiful depictions of the Buddha

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Employees from the World Record Certification Agency investigate hundreds of thousands of stone carvings that are stacked on top of each other in Sichuan, China. Photo: Handout
Kevin McSpadden

A world record authentication agency said a collection of 500,000 stones adorned with Buddhist inscriptions in southwest China is the world’s largest stone carvings of the Buddhist canon when stacked on top of one another.

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The stones, which cover an area of 695 sq m – the size of about two IMAX cinema screens – were given world record status by the World Record Certification Agency, a London-based company that is similar to Guinness World Records but is less famous.
They are part of the Rantang stone engraving tradition in Sichuan province, and contain religious artwork and Buddhist scripture written in Tibetan script. The tradition dates back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and remains a part of today’s local culture.
Located in Rangtang County in Sichuan Province, the canon contains a collection of around 500,000 stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures in the Tibetan language. Photo: Handout
Located in Rangtang County in Sichuan Province, the canon contains a collection of around 500,000 stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures in the Tibetan language. Photo: Handout

Some of the stones have beautifully ornate depictions of Buddha, while others typically contain sutras (Buddhist scripture written in Sanskrit) or images meant for good luck and prayer.

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They also contain classical cultural teachings and general knowledge about architecture, astronomy, language and medicine.

The tradition is thought to have been passed down through generations for 500 years and is typically taught by a master to an apprentice, according to a documentary on Kangba TV, a Tibetan-language television channel in China.

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