Longmen Grottoes
Longmen is a temple cave located on the territory of two mountains of China. The total length of the caves occupies about one kilometer along the slope of the mountain. The temple complex got its name through the similarity of the mountains located opposite each other and the river with gates flowing between them, – Lunmen in translation means « Dragon Gate ».
The construction of the cave temple began in the fifth century AD, reaching its dawn under the rule of the Tang dynasty. The dance sculptures were more lively, depicted ordinary people. More than 100 thousand stone statues were erected, about 3 thousand labels with inscriptions, more than 2 thousand niches. Lunmen caves were published similar to bee honeycombs.
The most important attraction is the Buddha statue, towering 17 meters in height. The smallest figure – Buddha two centimeters high.
Lunman territory is divided into four sections. The first of them is located on the western side of the Ihe River and is the most important element of the museum complex. Before entering the territory is the Binyan cave, consisting of three grottoes. She is one of the earliest buildings. In the center is the figure of Buddha dressed in a simple bathrobe. Further there is a number of grottoes, from among which a lot of Lotus flower is highlighted. The main decoration of the ceiling are lotus flowers made with carvings. At the head of – headless Buddha. In the Grotto of Medical Prescriptions, all walls are painted with recipes for preparing medicines. The next masterpiece is interesting - the grotto of the Ten Thousand Buddhas, in which many small statues of the deity are carved, and in the center Buddha rises in the lotus position.
The second part of the temple complex is occupied by caves located on the eastern shore of the river. The most famous is the Thunder of Prince Gaolin. Unfortunately, many sculptures have not been preserved to this day. Some of them are represented without some parts of the body – hands or head.
On the third site is the Buddhist temple of Xiangshan, consisting of several pavilions. He was erected in the 18th century. The main attraction of the temple is a monument to Emperor Tsyanlun, poured from bronze. On the territory there is a pond in which goldfish live.
The concluding part of Lunman is the grave of the Chinese poet Bo Juyi and the estate of his mother, where the house, garden, ponds with flowering lotuses are equipped, enchanting eyes with their beauty.
Lunmen is one of the three most important temple complexes in China and the UNESCO World Heritage List.
