ABSTRACT
One vihara cave in the Buddhist group, which served as a study and dining hall, contains a shrine decorated with the images of the principal bodhisattvas of the Vajrayāna sect: Padmapāni, representing infinite compassion, and Vajrapāni, representing universal wisdom. Another cave in the group, mixing vihara and chaitya elements, honors the ancient original materials of the monks: its roof is decorated with beams carved to look like wood, which serve no struc tural purpose, and the pillars of the hall are similarly deco rated. This cave also contains a stupa, a characteristic Buddhist monument symbolizing death and rebirth into the enlightened state of nirvana. A third cave, three stories high, is a typical vihara on the first two stories, but the topmost floor is lavishly decorated with images of Buddhas, sea dragons, and other symbols.
