Longmen Grottos ofTang Dynasty

The Longmen Grottos are situated on the bank of the Yi River inLuoyang,Henan Province. They were carved from the Northern Wei to the Song dynasties. There are over 21,000 grottos with some 100,000 statues in the Longmen Grottos. Two caves, the Guyang Cave and the Binyang Cave, contain the most representative statues. The Sykyamuni statue in the Guyang Cave sits cross-legged with a smile on his round face. The Buddhas on his two sides appear solemn. On the walls of the cave are three rows of big niches and countless small niches. The patterns in these niches are elegant and enigmatic.