Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang China

I've just returned from my trip from China last 2 week and I'm so busy organizing my photo and i can't wait to share with you all. Do you all like China History? I'm Malaysian and studying in English school ( I don't know chinese at all) but i like China History. Last 2 weeks, i was travelling to China visiting my bf's cousin who staying in Zhengzhou.

My first visits in China and it really impressive me with full of historical places. History of China can be found as early as the Shang Dynasty ( 1700–1046 BC ). There's need a lot of time to study about China history. It makes so big different between watching discovery channel and visiting the real places. 

For this post, i would like to share about "LONGMEN GROTTOES (龙门石窟)". Dragon Gate Grottoes, commonly called the Longmen Grottoes, are a series of caves carved out of the mountainside along the Yi River that house tributes to Buddhism.

Chinese name: 龙门石窟 (Longmen Shiku).

Location: 12 km south of Luoyang City, Henan Province.

Ticket: CNY120 (including entrance fees to Longmen Grottoes, Bai Garden (Bai Juyi's tomb), Xiangshan Temple).

Opening time: - Spring to Autumn: 07:00-18:30; - Winter: 07:30-17:30;

(Travelers can have a night visit to Longmen from 18:30 to 22:00 between April and October 10. Sale of tickets stops at 21:00.)

Best time for visit: autumn.
Estimation time in there: 2 - 3 hours (Depends)

The creating of Longmen Grottoes started from around year 493 when Emperor Xiaowendi of Northern Wei Dynasty (368-534) moved the capital from Pingcheng (known as Datong today) to Luoyang.

Hailed as the No.1 among the most famous eight landscapes in ancient Luoyang, Longmen Mountain was recognized as an advantageous place in Chinese Fengshui, which made it the site for the grottoes. After a long intermittent project lasting over 400 years after Northern Wei, a spectacular grotto stretching for one kilometer from south to north emerged on the cliffs of the mountains by Yi River. 

The alternative name of "Dragon's Gate Grottoes" derives from the resemblance of the two hills that check the flow of the Yi River to the typical "Chinese gate towers" that once marked the entrance to Luoyang from the south. 

There are as many as 110,000 Buddhist stone statues within the 1,400 caves, ranging from an 1 inch (25 mm) to 57 feet (17 m) in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, whence the name “Forest of Ancient Stelae", as well as over 60 Buddhist pagodas. On the West Hill cliffs there are more than 50 large and medium-sized caves cut in the Northern, Sui and Tang dynasties (316-907); the caves on the East Hill cliffs are exclusively from the Tang dynasty (618-907).

Situated in a scenic natural environment, the caves were dug from a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) stretch of cliff running along both banks of the river.

Guyangdong, or Guyang Cave, or Old Sun Cave, is recorded as the oldest Longmen cave with carvings in the Northern Wei style. It is also the largest cave, located in the central part of the west hill. It was carved under the orders of Emperor Xiaowen. The earliest carving in this limestone cave has been now predated to 478 AD, which has been inferred as the time taken by Emperor Xiaowen to shift his capital from Datong to Luoyang have very well sculpted Buddhist statues in niches in this cave. Also found here are 600 inscriptions in fine calligraphy of the writings of the Northern Wei style. The cave has three very large images - the central image is of Sakyamuni Buddha with Bodhisattvas on either side. The features of the images are indicative of the Northern Wei style, typically of slim and emaciated figures.There are about 800 inscriptions in the walls and niches inside the cave, the largest such numbers in any cave in China.

Binyangzhongdong or the Middle Binyang Cave, is carved in the Datang style on the west hill, on the northern floor. It was built by Emperor Xuanwun to commemorate his father Xiaowen, and also his mother. It is said that 800,000 workers created it over the period from 500 to 523. In the main wall of this cave, five very large Buddhist statues are carved all in Northern Wei style The central statue is of Sakyamuni Buddha with four images of Bodhisattvas flanking it. Two side walls also have Buddha images flanked by Bodhisatvas. The Buddhas, arranged in three groups in the cave, are representative of Buddha of the past, the present, and the future. The canopy in the roof is designed as a lotus flower. There were two large bas-reliefs of two imperial processions, that included Emperor Xiaowen, Empress Dowager Wenzhao, and the emperor's late parents in worship. The relieves were stolen completely in the mid-1930.

Fengxian, or Feng Xian Si, or Li Zhi cave is the Ancestor Worshipping Cave, which is the largest of all caves carved on the west hill built between 672 and 676 for Empress Wu Zetian. The carvings are claimed to be the ultimate in architectural perfection of the Tang dynasty. The shrine inside the cave measures 39m x35m. It has the largest Buddha statue at the Longmen Grottoes. Of the nine huge carved statues, the highly impressive image of Vairocana Buddha is sculpted on the back wall of the Fengxian. The image is 17.14m high and has 2m long ears. An inscription at the base of this figure gives 676 as the year of carving. Bodhisattva on the left of the main image of Buddha is decorated with a crown and pearls. Also shown is a divine person trampling an evil spirit. The main image of Vairocana's features are plumpish and of peaceful and natural expression. Each of the other large statues are carved with expressions matching their representative roles. These were carved at the orders of Empress Wu Zetian, and are considered uniquely representative of the Tang dynasty's "vigorous, elegant and realistic style." The huge Virochana statue is considered as "the quintessence of Buddhist sculpture in China."

The Vairochana statue also provides information at its base of the names of the artisans who worked here, the donor's name namely the Emperor Gaozong, and also honors Wu Zetian. It is said that Wu Zetian donated "twenty-thousand strings of her rouge and powder money" to complete this edifice. Hence, it is conjectured that the Vairocana Buddha was carved to resemble the Empress herself and termed as a "Chinese Mona Lisa, Venus or as the Mother of China". All the images here, which remain undamaged, project a detail of character and animation. Statues of Kasyapa and Ananda, the two principal disciples of Vairochana and two Bodhisattvas with crowns flank the main statue, apart from numerous images of "lokapalas (guardians or heavenly kings), dvarapalas (temple guards), flying divas and numerous other figures.

Is so sad, most of the smaller Buddhist statuary, many inscriptions and murals were stolen by Western visitors in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is estimated that some 800 of the finest pieces were carried off in the 1930s alone. There are still some very impressive sculptures remaining but today visitor will shudder at the hundreds of beheaded Buddha sculptures one passes during a visit.

龙门石窟 (Longmen Shiku)

How to get there: It takes about 40 minutes from the railway station to Longmen by bus No.81. The cost by taxi is about CNY35.


Travel tip: The Luoyang Peony Festival is held from April to early May every year, which is a good time for those interested in both Longmen Grottoes and peony to visit Luoyang.
2) Get a tour guide to bring you inside, they explain briefly about the history of Longmen Shiku.

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