Along with Longman and Magoa, the Yungang Grottoes form the three most sculptural site of China. The grottoes or the caves are located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain some 16 km west of Datong City, Shanxi Province of China.

The construction of the caves was initiated under the patronage of the eminent monk Tan Yao in 453 and took 50 years to complete. Efforts of some 40,000 people, including the Buddhists from the present day Sri Lanka went into this huge project.


Since the time it was completed, the grottoes have faced damages due to both natural disasters as well as wars. However, the 20th century saw a number of steps taken to preserve and protect these grottoes. For example, a special Yungang Grottoes protection institution was established in the year 1959, and two years later, the State Council listed Yungang Grottoes as key cultural site under its protection. The Datong municipal government issued and carried out the Programs for the Protection Scope and Safety of Yungang Grottoes in 1965. Premier Zhou Enlai put in a great deal of money between 1973 -76 to restore many Yungang Grottoes that were on the brink of being destroyed. Off late, the the Datong municipal government has further intensified its efforts to protect the Yungang Grottoes.

2001 was a landmark year in the history of Yungang Grottoes for it was in the December of this year that the 25th meeting of UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Helsinki, Finland, passed a decision to list Yungang Grottoes on the World Cultural Heritage List.


The Sculptures of the Grottoes
Yungang Grottoes are constructed against the mountain and spread upto about 1 km from east to west. The grottoes are segregated into three zones: east, west and central and are numbered from east to west. There are a total of 53 grottoes consisting of 1,000 niches and 51,000 statues.

Grottos No.1 and No. 2 are situated in the east zone and house statues and sculptures that have suffered severe damages. Worthseeing here are the relief sculptures of Buddhist stories on the lower part of the eastern wall of Grotto No. 1.

Grotto No. 5 is known as the Big Buddha Cave and houses the tallest Buddha statue measuring around 17 m. This Buddha statue is surrounded by a number of small Buddha statues.

Grotto No. 20 in the western zone is one of the five earliest caves of monk Tan Yao and houses the 13.7 meters high sitting statute of Sakyamuni. The statue has a full and round face with a majestic smile, slim lips, a high nose, ears that reach almost to the shoulders, impressive eyes and broad shoulders.


Shansi Province and Datong
Shansi province is located in the northen part of China and occupies an area of 156,000 square kilometres. The province is roughly rectangular in shape and is bordered by the provinces of Hopeh to the east, Honan to the south and southeast, and Shensi to the west and by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north.

Datong is located on the northern end of the province and also happens to be its second largest city. The city served as the capital of Northern Wei dynasty (386-534) and the secondary capital of the Liao ( 916-1125) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties.

For visiting tourists, there are quiet a few hotels in Datong which offer comfortable stay including Datong Hotel, Haitong Hotel and Yungang Hotel.


Other Attractions

• Shanhua Temple : Also known as the Nan Temple or South Temple, the Shanhua Temple was first constructed during the rule of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). A war caused great damages to this temple in the 12th century the time when the Liao dynasry was close to its collapse, however, later with the Jin dynasty coming into power, the temple breathed a new lease of life.
  
  
  The temple covers an area of 14, 000 square meters and houses three main buildings - the Gate, the Hall of the Three Saints and the Da Xiong Bao Dian ( the most important structure in a Buddhist temple). The hall of Three Saints is adorned by three statues representing Sakyamuni, Bodhisattva Puxian and Bodhisattva Wenshu-the Three Saints of Huayan in Buddhism. The Da Xiong Bao Dian, on the other hand, houses five gold-coated statues of Tathagata Buddha, called Wu Fang Fo. These are the original statues from the Jin Dynasty. The eastern and western sides of these five statues are occupied by 24 beautiful gods. Amongst them, the God of the Sun's Palace and the God of the Moon's Palace are superlative creations from the Jin dynasty. Two palaces, one on each side of Da Xiong Bao Dian belong to Bodhisattva Puxian and Bodhisattva Wenshu.
  
  
• The Huayan Monastery : The monastery complex stands on the Daxi Street on the south western side of Datong city. The monastery was constructed during the Liao dynasty rule and is the best preserved one in China of that era. There are two sections in the monastery - the upper and lower sections. The former is called the Grand Hall and houses five large Ming Dynasty Buddhas while the latter is known as the Sutra Temple and is home to a library of some 18,000 volumes of Buddhist writings.
  
  The two sections are interconnected, nonetheless both have a main hall of their own. The main hall of the upper monastery is the Hall of Sakyamuni. Within it, there are five sculptures standing in a row at the bottom of a lotus flower. Twenty additional sculptures of gods in a standing bowing posture are also seen in this hall. Paintings from the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasties adorn the walls of the hall.
  
  The main hall of the Lower monastery is the Bhaga Repository Hall which houses Buddhist sutras and 31 sculptures including the lifelike statues of Bodhisattvas.
  
  
• The Wooden Pagoda : The Wooden Pagoda is located in the Fogang Temple in the Yingxian County and was constructed during the the Liao Dynasty. With the height of about 67 meters and a diametre of 30 meter at its bottom, it is considered the 'First Pagoda in the World'. From outside the Pagoda appears to be a five storey structure but as a matter of fact it is a nine storey structure with four concealed inside. Worthseeing here are a 11 m tall statue of Sakyamuni and wonderful murals in a typical Liao painting style.