Lunmen Grottoes is one of the three most outstanding cave structures in China, which can also include Yungang and Mogao Caves. The grottos stretch for 1 kilometre along the Yi River on both sides. On the eastern bank are a large number of small caves that served as homes for numerous groups of monks.
The Lunmen Grottoes have approximately 1,400 caves and contain 100,000 statues of various sizes, ranging from 25 mm tall to the largest Buddha statue, which measures 17 metres tall. There are also about 2,500 steles and 60 pagodas. Fifty large medium-sized caves are located on the western slopes, which are attributed to an earlier period of origin compared to the caves on the eastern slope.
The abundance of caves, sculptures on the slopes allows one to catch certain changes in style related to the time of their creation. Carved figures of Buddha statues and religious people abound on the western slopes, while on the eastern slopes the figures are more elaborate, including representations of women as well as ships. The caves are numbered consecutively from north to south along the western bank of the Yi River.
The largest grottoes with famous sculptures and inscriptions: Guang-dong, where work began in 493, Binyang-dong in 505, Lianghua-dong in 520, Shiku-si in 520, Shisku in 520, Yaofang-dong in 570, Zaifu-dong in 636, and Fahya-dong in 650, etc.
Guang-dong, or Old Sun Cave, is the oldest cave in Lun with carvings in the Northern Wei style. It is also the longest of the caves located in the central part of the western slope. The cave was carved on the order of Emperor Xiao Wen. The earliest carvings in this limestone cave now date back to 478, when Emperor Xiao Wei moved his capital from Datong to Luoyang. 600 of the finest calligraphic inscriptions in the northern Wei style can be found here.
There are 3 very large images in the cave. This is the centre image of Sakyamuni Buddha with Bodhisattvas on either side. The northern Wei style in which these images are made is quite revealing - the lean and emaciated bodies of the saints. Also carved in the cave are approximately 800 inscriptions on the walls and in niches, a record number in China. Along the cave are two rows of niches, on the north and south sides, which contain a large number of drawings signed by artists.
For 4 centuries, artisans carved more and more statues and reliefs in the grottoes of Lunmen. Alas, during the years of persecution of Buddhists in the IX century began and the history of destruction of the monastery. Then the erosion of the soft stone, the looting raids of Western collectors, and the vandalism of the Hongweibin during the years of the "Cultural Revolution" said their destructive word.
The Lunmen Grottoes are a testament to the creativity of Buddhist art. They have preserved to this day more than 2,100 kyotas, 43 pagodas, more than 100,000 images of saints, and 3,600 stone inscriptions.
