[Buddha-l] Shandong Buddhas -- The Qingzhou Discovery

[JKirkpatrick]

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2009/1/15/on-buddha-s-trail-in-sing
apore
news article about the The Qingzhou Discovery
 
"In 1996, Chinese construction workers hit upon a pit in
Qingzhou, Shandong province. The pit contained 400 limestone
sculptures, all 6th century Buddhist figures, the likes of which
had never been seen before. All were damaged, some with missing
torsos, others with missing hands or arms, still others with
major cracks."  
Maybe it was a pit where they buried damaged statues?

 
http://www.buddhachannel.tv/portail/spip.php?article9807
Diaporama — Découvrez les Buddhas de Shandong, au musée
Cernuschi. 
A slide show of 40 images. 

The iconography is quite new to me, amazing.

Joanna K.