Longmen Grottoes are situated 13 km south of Luoyang in Henan Province in China. Construction of the grottoes commenced during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and continued for the next 4 centuries by the Eastern Wei (534-550), Western Wei (535-556), Northern Qi (550-577), Sui (581-618) and Northern Song (960-1127) dynasties.


The Longmen Grottoes spread over an area of 1 km from north to south and comprises 2345 caves, 3600 inscriptions, over 50 Buddhist Pagodas and more than 1,00,000 Buddhist statues. Infact, the entire Longmen Grottoes is a sparkling example of the Chinese artform at its zenith.

Worthvisiting caves include Guyang Cave, Binyang Cave, The Lotus (Lianhua) Cave of Northern Wei, Qianxi Temple, Cave of Ten Thousand Buddhas (Wanfuo), Fengxian Temple, Prescription Cave and Kanjing Temple.

The caves open between 07:00 to 19:50 during March 1st to October 31st and 07:30 to 18:50 during November 1st to February 28th.


Inside the Caves

• Fengxian Temple : The largest grotto in Longmen Temple, the Fengxian Temple was built during the rule of the Tang Dynasty. The temple is 36 metres wide and 41 metres long. Within are housed nine major figures with different facial appearances and temperaments. These were constructed as per the Buddhist rite and their relationships by the artists. Highlight of the temple is the cross legged sitting statues of Vairocana Buddha on the eight-square lotus throne. The statue rises to a total height of 17.14 metres with head four metres in height and the ears 1.9 metres in length. Flanking the Vairocana are his two disciples - Kasyapa and Ananda. Also to be seen here are figures of Bodhisattvas and devas, all with a facial expression distinct of their own
  
  
• Cave of Ten Thousand Buddhas (Wanfo Cave) : The construction of the Wanfo cave, consisting of two rooms and square flat roofs, was finished in the 680. To be seen in the cave are small statues of Buddha chiseled in the southern and northern walls. The main statue of the temple is that of Buddha Amida who is seated on the lotus Sumeru throne. Behind the statue, carvings of 54 lotuses with a Bodhisattvas on each are seen. These Bodhisattvas are of different shapes and have different facial expressions. There are also lifelike reliefs of pretty and charming singers and dancers on the wall.
  
  Outside the cave, on the southern wall, you can see a carved statue of Bodhisattva Kwan-yin holding a pure bottle in the left hand and deer's tails in the right hand. The deer's tail, in essence is representative of cleansing the dust in spirit.
  
  
• Guyang Cave : This is the oldest cave in Longmen Grottoes and has three tiers of niches on the northern and the southern wall. A number of statues with the names of the artists who gave them shape as well as the date of their creation find a place in these niches. A statue of Shakyamuni Buddha adorn the the middle area and rises to a height of 7.82 m. 19 out of 20 famous calligraphies representing the steles of the Wei's style are seen here in the Guyang Cave.
  
  
• Binyang Cave : Post the completion of the Guyang Cave, the royalty of the Northern Wei Dynasty undertook the construction of a series of larger scale caves - the northern, southern, and middle Binyang Caves. The middle cave was the only one which was completed during the Northern Wei Dynasty. It actually took the longest period to get completed amongst the three. The cave houses 11 huge statues including that of a calm looking Shakyamuni and his disciples. There are also slender statues of Bodhisattvas. Carving of lotus patterns adorn the floor while the rooftop is a rilievo of blooming lotus flower.
  
  
• Lotus Cave (Lianhua Cave) : Lotus Cave is one of those natural limestone caves in the Longmen caves that have chiseled grottoes on the base. A standing figure of Shakyamuni in this cave is symbolic of the long distance covered by Buddhism to reach from India to China. There is also a beautiful carving of lotus flower with six flying muscians around it. These musicians are shown in a varying gestures suggesting that they are dancing along with the music.
  
  
• Prescription Cave : The cave has around 140 prescriptions carved on the walls that symbolise the schievements of medicine in ancient China. Some of these presecription are still made use of today. .

Henan Province & Luoyang
Henan province is located in the centre of China and is bordered by Hebei in the north, Shandong in the northeast, Anhui in the southeast, Hubei in the south, Shaanxi in the west and Shanxi in the northwest.

Luoyang is situated in the west of Henan province in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. It spreads over an area of 15,500 sqkm and population of 6.28 million. In its long history, Luoyang has served as the capital of 13 dynasties including Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Eastern Han, Sui, and Tang. It is, infact, the oldest capital of China.


Other Attractions

• White Horse Temple : The White Horse temple was the first Buddhist temple constructed in China after Buddhism made its way into the country. It was constructed by the government of China during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han dynasty and is today more than 1900 years old. Worth visiting in the temple are Hall of Heavenly Kings, Hall of the Great Buddha, Hall of Mahavira, Hall of Guidance and The Cool and Clear Terrace. The temple stands some 13 km east of Luoyang and is open between 07.30 in the morning to 17.30 in the evening.