“Revolving Sutra Cabinet” (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
close view, elephant on the repository column. Together, the Garuda, the naga, the leviathan, the chimera, the lion, and the elephant (in this particular order, from top to bottom) are collectively known as the “Six Manifestations,” a set of iconographic motif often constituting the Buddha’s mandorla and previously seen decorating the archway of the Cloud Platform.