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Longmen Caves

The strong collection of Buddhist grottoes situated just outside Luoyang are testament to the importance that Buddhism once held in Chinese history. The grottoes are fairly famous in China and this spot can become busy in the summer months, although many of the crowds quickly head for the tacky fun-fair that is situated nearby.

The peaceful Luo river meanders its way through the south of the town here, cutting across steep cliffs on both sides. Above, thousands of Buddhist statues stand, peering out of the cliff side. Carving began here in the 5th century when the Wei dynasty moved its capital from Datong (where they created the famous Yungang Groto) to Luoyang. At this time, Chinese Buddhism was reaching its first peak, and the emperor himself was a pious believer. Carving continued after the Wei dynasty ended and the Tang Dynasty witnessed the second peak of Buddhist belief. Construction of more than half of the works seen today in the grotto date back to this period. The Longmen Grotto boasts 1352 caves, more than 100000 statues, 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets with Buddhist inscriptions. This is an exceptional treasury and gallery of Chinese Buddhist art.

One day is not really sufficient to see all the caves, although unless you are a real enthusiast or expert you will probably have had enough after seeing a few of the most representative examples. The Fengxian cave on the southern reach has the biggest Buddha Statue in the whole collection. This Tang Dynasty statue is 17.4m tall, with ear lobes measuring more than 2m. The Binyang, Guyang and Lianhua Caves were commissioned by various royal families from the Wei Dynasty through to the Tang Dynasty and are the most luxuriously built. These caves clearly illustrate the line of development of Buddhist art over the years.