Map of Longmen GrottoesLongmen Grottos UNESCO World Heritage site
The Longmen Grottoes (simplified Chinese: 龙门石窟; traditional Chinese: 龍門石窟; pinyin: Lóngmén Shíkū; lit. 'Dragon's Gate 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 (Chinese: 伊河) flows northward between them and the area used to be called Yique (伊阙; 'The Gate of the Yi River').[1][2][3] 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.[4]
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.[3] 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.[1][5]
In 2000 the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity," for its perfection of an art form, and for its encapsulation of the cultural sophistication of Tang China.[2]
^ abLongmen Grottoes Management Office (September 12, 2003). "Longmen Grottoes". Luoyang City, Henan: China.org.cn. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
^ ab"Longmen Grottoes". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
^ abICOMOS (September 2000). "Longmen Grottoes (China) No 1003" (PDF). Unesco.org. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
^Fiala, Robert D. "Longmen Grottoes (carved 480s–900 onward)". orientalarchitecture.com. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
^"Longmen Caves". sacred-destinations.com. July 24, 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
to: Longmen (mythology), The Dragon Gate in Chinese mythology, located at the top of a waterfall cascading from a legendary mountain LongmenGrottoes, collection...
people to the site by 495, and started the construction of the rock-cut LongmenGrottoes. More than 30,000 Buddhist statues from the time of this dynasty have...
are the best known of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes and, along with LongmenGrottoes and Yungang Grottoes, are one of the three famous ancient Buddhist...
Chinese: 賓陽南洞; pinyin: Bīnyáng Nán Dòng) is cave number 159 at the LongmenGrottoes near Luoyang, Henan province, China. Initiated by order of Emperor...
service. Wu also had an important impact upon the statuary of the LongmenGrottoes and the "Wordless Stele" at the Qian Mausoleum, as well as the construction...
pinyin: qián xī sì dòng also zhai fu tang) is cave number 20 at the LongmenGrottoes near Luoyang, Henan, China. The cave had wooden structured eaves added...
Chinese: 賓陽北洞; pinyin: Bīnyáng Běi Dòng) is cave number 104 at the LongmenGrottoes near Luoyang, Henan, China. Initiated by order of Emperor Xuanwu of...
Chinese: 賓陽中洞; pinyin: Bīnyáng Zhōng Dòng) is cave number 140 at the LongmenGrottoes near Luoyang, Henan, China. 12m long, 10.9m wide, 9.3m high. Constructed...
such as in the Mogao Caves, Yulin Caves, Tianlongshan grottoes, the Yungang, and LongmenGrottoes. They are also depicted on tiles of pagoda, such as Xiuding-si...
Observatory in Dengfeng, the oldest astronomical observatory in China. LongmenGrottoes, near Luoyang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Mount Jigong...
Pingyao Suzhou 4 5 Dazu Wuyi Qingcheng and Dujiangyan Xidi and Hongcun Longmen Xianling 7 8 6 Xiaoling Fuling, Zhaoling and Yongling Yungang Three Parallel...
of rock-cut temples, of which the largest and most famous are the LongmenGrottoes and the Mogao Caves (at Dunhuang), both of which were at their peak...
caves near Yongjing in Gansu province, the LongmenGrottoes near Luoyang in Henan province, the Yungang Grottoes near Datong in Shanxi province, and the...
large groups of excavated caves, include the Yungang Grottoes, LongmenGrottoes, Maijishan Grottoes, and Mogao Caves. Bronze mask, from Sanxingdui, 2nd...
the Yungang Grottoes near Datong during the mid-to-late fifth century, and towards the latter part of the dynasty, the LongmenGrottoes outside the later...
Bamiyan in Afghanistan and the Buddhist Grottoes of central China, Yungang Grottoes near Datong and LongmenGrottoes near Luoyang. Over the centuries, earthquakes...
In 673 Wu provided 20,000 cash for a gigantic statue of Maitreya at LongmenGrottoes. Unlike her predecessor's dynasty, Wu Zetian selected people in her...
incomplete list of caves in China. It includes natural caves and rock cut grottoes. List of caves Speleology "Chinese Village Finds Alien-Fish in Cave". Weird...
former Chinese capital located in Henan—along with the peony and the LongmenGrottoes. It has a history going back more than 1,000 years and the residents...
large groups of excavated caves, include the Yungang Grottoes, LongmenGrottoes, Maijishan Grottoes, and Mogao Caves. Sculptures in the round, first began...
846). The various artistic complexes from this period, such as the LongmenGrottoes, also attest to the artistic vibrancy of Chinese Buddhism at this time...
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