Nine Dharmapalas

Scene 2, Baodingshan, Dazu (map)

Nine Dharmapalas (Protectors of the Law) guard the entrance to Baodingshan. Usually there are eight Protectors rather than nine, but the augmented number apparently comes from a sutra that was popular around Dazu during the Song Dynasty.

Visitors to the site will find scene numbers (scene 2, in this case; see first page for the complete list) marked on the reliefs themselves by the modern restorers.