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The Longmen Grottoes are located 12km south of modern Luoyang along the two mountains Xiangshan (to the east) and Longmenshan (to the west). From north to south, the distance covered by grottoes is about 1km. It boasts 1352 caves, more than 100000 statues, 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets with Buddhist inscriptions. The peaceful Luo river meanders its way through the south of the town here, cutting across steep cliffs on both sides. Above, thousands of Buddhist statues stand, peering out of the cliff side.
Carving began in the 5th century when the Wei dynasty moved its capital from Datong (where they created the famous Yungang Groto) to Luoyang. At this time, Chinese Buddhism was reaching its first peak, and the emperor was a pious believer. Carving continued after the Wei dynasty and the Tang Dynasty witnessed the second peak of Buddhist belief. Construction of more than half of the works seen today in the grotto date back to this period.
The Fengxian cave on the southern reach has the biggest Buddha Statue in the whole collection. This Tang Dynasty statue is 17.4m tall, with ear lobes measuring more than 2m. The Binyang, Guyang and Lianhua Caves were commissioned by various royal families from the Wei Dynasty through to the Tang Dynasty and are the most luxuriously built. These caves clearly illustrate the line of development of Buddhist art over the years.
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