Longmen Grottoes

The Longmen Grottoes (ch. 龍門石窟; lit. Dragon's Gate Grottoes) are located 12km south of modern Luoyang in Henan province, China. The grottoes are densely dotted along the two mountains Xiangshan (to the east) and Longmenshan (to the west) as the Yi River flows northward between them. From north to south, the distance covered by grottoes is about 1km. Started in 493, along with Mogao and Yungang the Longmen Grottoes are one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites in China. Also known as the Longmen Caves, the area was inscribed on the World Heritage list in November 2000.

Statistics

Mt. Longmen as seen from Manshui Bridge to the southeast. May, 2004.

According to the Longmen Caves Research Institute, there are 2345 caves and niches, 2800 inscriptions, 40 pagodas and over 100,000 Buddhist images at the site. 30% of the caves date from the Northern Wei, 60% from the Tang, and caves from other periods less then 10%.

History

The area used to be named Yique (The Gate of the Yi River), due to its appearance as a natural gate. During the Warring States Period, the Qin general Baiqi once defeated the allied forces of Han and Wei at the site.

Individual Grottoes by Dynasty Completed

Northern Wei

Tang

Visiting Today

The area is open to the public, and although the grottoes cannot be entered most of the artwork is visible from the exterior. Standard tickets are 80元, with discount 40元 tickets available to students.

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