Buddhist statues in Tianlong Temple, Buddhist statues at Tianlong Temple in Hangzhou, China.

The Buddhist statues in Tianlong Temple comprise three niches carved into the southern foot of Yuhuang Mountain in Hangzhou. The main niche holds seven figures: Maitreya at the centre with flame-shaped halos, flanked by Wuzhu and Shiqin, then two bodhisattvas, and two guardian figures at the outer edges; two flying figures are carved in relief on the niche lintel. The west niche holds Amitabha in full lotus meditation, and the east niche holds a full-faced Shuiyue Guanyin.

The three niches were carved in 965, the third year of the Qiande era of the Northern Song, when King Qian Hongchu of Wuyue founded Tianlong Temple. In 1986 they became a first-batch Hangzhou protected site, and in 2006 they were listed nationally with the Ciyunling and Yanxia Cave carvings under the Feilaifeng statues.

The statues represent different Buddhist deities and show how faith was practiced in medieval Chinese communities. You can see from the figures which roles different Buddhas and Bodhisattvas held in people's daily prayers and spiritual life.

The three niches are carved into the rock at the southern foot of Yuhuang Mountain, above the Bagua fields and Baiyun Nunnery, so reaching them means walking uphill on the mountain path. The site is a protected national heritage unit, so the carvings should not be touched. Allow time to find the west and east niches, which sit apart from the main group.

Each statue displays different meditation poses and hand gestures, known as mudras, which convey specific Buddhist teachings. These subtle differences in body positioning were an important part of how believers understood different spiritual paths.