Longmen Grottoes

From Underfoot

Q273834




The Longmen Grottoes or Longmen Caves are some of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, they are located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of present-day Luoyang in Henan province, China. The images, many once painted, were carved as outside rock reliefs and inside artificial caves excavated from the limestone cliffs of the Xiangshan (香山) and Longmenshan, running east and west. The Yi River flows northward between them and the area used to be called Yique. 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 100,000 statues within the 2,345 caves, ranging from 1 inch (25 mm) to 57 feet (17 m) in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, hence the name "Forest of Ancient Stelae", as well as over sixty Buddhist pagodas. 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. 30% date from the Northern Wei and 60% from the Tang dynasty, caves from other periods accounting for less than 10% of the total. Starting with the Northern Wei dynasty in 493 AD, patrons and donors included emperors, Wu Zetian, members of the royal family, other rich families, generals, and religious groups.

Wikimedia, Wikidata
Longmen Caves; Longmen National Park
grotto, People's Republic of China, 
link={{{3}}}
  • part of UNESCO World Heritage Site page@
  • World Heritage Site page@
    • ​ ​ ​ ​ ​


Location: 34.5556, 112.4697, KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
2 places

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  • Longmen Grottoes ⓘ
    cave in People's Republic of China
  • Shuiquan Grottoes ⓘ
    caves in Henan Province, China
Frameless
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 68Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 68
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 128Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 128
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 107Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 107
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 91Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 91
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 40Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 40
Longmen West Hill 27386-Luoyang (49067973008)Longmen West Hill 27386-Luoyang (49067973008)
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 64Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 64
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 109Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 109
Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 90Longmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 90
Emperor Xiaowen and his entourage worshipping the Buddha - relief panel, China (MET, 35.146)Emperor Xiaowen and his entourage worshipping the Buddha - relief panel, China (MET, 35.146)
TypeSubtypeDateDescriptionNotesSource
linkpagepart of UNESCO World Heritage Site page@Wikidata
linkpageWorld Heritage Site page@Wikidata
sitecaveLongmen GrottoesgrottoWikidata
sitecaveShuiquan Grottoesarchaeological site, caveWikidata
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 68 Commons
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 128 Commons
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 107 Commons
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 91 Commons
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 40 Commons
commonsimageLongmen West Hill 27386-Luoyang (49067973008) Commons
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 64 Commons
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 109 Commons
commonsimageLongmen Grottoes - Caves on the West Hill 90 Commons
commonsimageEmperor Xiaowen and his entourage worshipping the Buddha - relief panel, China (MET, 35.146) Commons
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