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| Longmen Grotto | ||||
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Longmen Grottoes stretch for a kilometer or so on the west bank of the Yihe River, 12 kilometers south of Luoyang. The Longmen Grottoes are one of the three great treasure houses of grotto art in China. Longmen landscape is acclaimed as the best of the eight sights of Luoyang. The Construction of the grottoes lasted 400 years. The first caves of Longmen were excavated in 488 A.D., the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534A.D.). Large-scale construction took place during the Northern Wei and Tang dynasties and many additions were made in later generations. There are more than 2,100 grotto niches, 89 Buddhist pagodas, 100,000 sculptured figures, and 3600 tablets, of which the biggest stands 17.14 meters tall and the smallest is only 2 centimeters. Strolling slowly along the rock path built on the cliff at the Western Hills, one can visit Guyang Cave, Binyang Cave and Cave of Ten - Thousand Buddhas, each with its own story; the statues carved in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534A.D.), Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.) and the southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589A.D.) are different from one another. Most celebrated is the image of Buddha Losana, which is 17.14 meters high in Fengxian Temple. The statue has plump, elegant and gentle features. Flanking the Buddha Losana are two disciples, two bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings, two warriors and two flying devas. The dignified Buddha sitting in the center represents the almighty emperor.it is said that much time and labor were used in building this temple. in order to rush through the project, work was carried out at night under lamplight and music was played and drums beaten on the opposite bank to boost the morale of the workers. So a huge rock on the opposite hand of the river is called "drum-Beating Platform" today. Entry fee: 45 yuan | |||
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Contact
China DH Travel
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