Vairocana

Center rear wall, Fengxian Si, Longmen Caves

The face of Vairocana is said to be modeled upon Wu Zetian herself; all power on earth (or at least, in China) descended from the Empress, just as all power in heaven descended from the Cosmic Buddha. The esoteric doctrine of Vairocana's transcendental nature was expounded in the Flower Garland Sutra, a favored Mahayana text at that time.

The sculpture has been recently restored, as is evident from these photos. Square post holes are the remnants of later scaffolding, erected some time after the temple's completion.

Reference for names: Chinese Deities