Posted ByChina7day
Longmen Grottoes are listed in the world cultural heritage list, and are the necessary scenic spots in Luoyang, Henan Province. Taking the Yi River as the boundary, the grottoes are divided into two parts: the Xishan and Dongshan. The Dongshan grottoes are mostly works of the Tang Dynasty, while the Xishan grottoes were excavated in the Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties. They are part of the essence of Longmen, including the Buddha of luhna in Fengxian Temple and the “twenty products of Longmen” in the ancient cave.
N reasons to go to Longmen Grottoes
Punch in World Cultural Heritage
As a world cultural heritage, Longmen Grottoes has a long history and profound cultural heritage. Since Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital to Luoyang and began to dig ancient Yangdong in the western mountain of Longmen, it took more than 400 years for the seven dynasties to build, and then Longmen Grottoes, the epic grand cliff group sculpture we see today, has been formed.
There are 2345 niches, more than 2800 inscriptions, more than 70 pagodas and more than 100000 statues in Longmen Grottoes. Stepping into Longmen, you will be in a treasure house of art for thousands of years, a magnificent sculpture art, which will shake your heart and give you a visual feast.
The power of belief seen from the sculpture of Buddhist grottoes
Grotto sculpture is a precious relic of Buddhist art. In Longmen Grottoes, there is a kind, kind and graceful Buddha and Bodhisattva sculpture. In the devout worship of believers, in the wonderful craftsmanship of craftsmen, the cold grottoes are rendered into a solemn, warm and peaceful temple, bringing hope to the pure land of Buddhism
Pray for family and friends
Longmen Grottoes have been the holy place for praying since ancient times. Whether it is the relatives of the emperor or the common people, they all pray for blessings in Longmen Grottoes. In the face of these two hundred thousand holy Buddhas, it is better to calm down and pray sincerely. Maybe in the near future, good wishes will come true.
Indulge in the beautiful scenery
“Longmen mountain scenery” has been the first of the eight sceneries in Luoyang since ancient times. Bai Juyi once said, “the four fortresses in Luoyang are the best in terms of mountains and rivers, and Longmen is the first”. Here are beautiful mountains and clear waters, with green pines and cypresses. Between the two mountains, the Yi River is rippling, and the satin water surface is rippling, which is beautiful.
Sightseeing route
The whole scenic area of Longmen Grottoes has planned a fixed tour route. From Xishan Grottoes to Dongshan Grottoes to Xiangshan temple to Baiyuan, it takes about half a day to tour in one direction. You don’t have to turn back and take the wrong road, or get lost.
Xishan Grottoes: the colorful part of Longmen Grottoes
The Xishan grottoes were excavated in the Northern Dynasties and Sui and Tang Dynasties. They are the essence and integrity of Longmen Grottoes. Among them, the famous ones are the Buddha statue of Lushena in Fengxian Temple and the “twenty dragon’s gate products” in Guyang cave. It is said that the Buddha statue of Lushena was created according to the image of Empress Wu, which is more than 17 meters high. Fifteen thousand small Buddhas are carved on the north and south sides of the ten thousand Buddha cave. Each of them is about the size of a fist, which is lifelike.
Boating on the Yi River: looking at the beautiful scenery on both sides of the East and the West
From Xishan grottoes, you can get to Dongshan Grottoes in the East through a bridge across the Yi River. Standing on the bridge, looking at the Longmen Bridge in the distance and enjoying the grottoes on both sides of the East and the west is a good idea. In addition, both Fengxian Temple wharf and LIFO platform Wharf in the scenic spot can take a cruise ship, boating on the blue waves, with a panoramic view of the scenery on both sides.
Dongshan Grottoes: across the Yi River, look at the west mountain.
Compared with Xishan grottoes, the scale of Dongshan Grottoes is slightly inferior, and the number of tourists is relatively small. If I feel a little tired after walking through Xishan grottoes, I’d like to have a rough look here. From Dongshan grottoes, you can see the panoramic view of the west mountain on the other side, especially Lushena Buddha.
Free WiFi coverage: scan code to listen to voice explanation
Longmen Grottoes is the first cashless scenic spot in China. From all you can think of, such as buying scenic spot tickets and battery tickets, taking a cruise ship, booking scenic spot explanations, buying souvenirs, parking fees, etc., Longmen Grottoes has fully realized cashless payment, which can be achieved by direct wechat scanning.
There is also free WiFi coverage in the scenic spot. Almost every scenic spot can scan QR code to listen to the voice explanation, which is very convenient.
There are also photo spots in the scenic area, which can be used as reference for those who like to take photos.
Lushena Buddha: a thousand year smile
Fengxian Temple is a typical cliff like niche in the Longmen Grottoes, and the Buddha in the FengSi temple is the cream of the essence. Anyone who has been to Longmen Grottoes will be shocked by the solemnity of the Buddha. The Buddha is full-bodied, dignified and serene. If you look carefully, you will find that the Buddha is kind and modest with a smile. Therefore, it is also known as the “Mona Lisa of the East”. There is a legend that Lushena Buddha was carved according to the appearance of Empress Wu Zetian of Tang Dynasty.
Nowadays, many people have a question about the Buddha. Most of the Buddha statues are well preserved. I don’t know why only the Buddha’s hands are missing. In fact, in 1934, one of the directors of the American Metropolitan Museum of art, p’ellen, came to China to search for literary treasures. This is a so-called “cultural relic expert” who collects and steals ancient Chinese cultural relics. He has stolen a large number of Buddha heads and grottoes in Longmen and Yungang along the way. When he saw Lushena Buddha, he was not only intoxicated by the exquisite and superb art level of the Buddha, but also because the Buddha was so huge that he couldn’t steal it, so he stole the palm of the Buddha and chiseled it away. Nowadays, if you want to visit the Buddha’s hand, you can only go to the Metropolitan Museum in the United States.
“Scissor hand” Bodhisattva: super cute Buddha in history
In 2014, there was a report on the history of the “super Buddha”. It was a millennium statue of Buddha in the North cave of Longmen Grottoes, Binyang. The Buddha’s action was very strange, and the right index finger and middle finger were set up exactly like the modern popular scissors, so it is also known as “scissors” Bodhisattva. Some netizens joked that art masters of more than a thousand years ago had a good vision and knew that scissors hand would be popular all over the world after a thousand years.
In fact, this posture is actually a kind of Buddhist fingerprint. When practicing, Buddhist practitioners will make various postures with their hands, cooperate with chanting Buddhist scriptures, so as to achieve the goal of successful practice faster. The gesture that netizens call “scissor hand” Buddha statue is a very rare kind of Buddhist fingerprint, which is related to the practice of Tantrism in Tang Dynasty and symbolizes the strong will of practice.