This grotto in Gansu has the earliest “seven buddhas” statues in China, which is as exquisite as the Mogao Grottoes but few people know

Speaking of the grottoes in Gansu, most people may only know the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui. These two grottoes have left a strong mark in the history of Chinese art and were jointly selected as the “Four Great Grottoes in China.” In fact, in Qingyang City, Gansu Province, there is another cave-Beishiku Temple, which is not well-known but has an important position in the history of Buddhism in my country.

Qingyang, Gansu, is one of the birthplaces of my country’s early farming civilization. It is well-known both at home and abroad for its long history and profound traditional folk culture. According to the “Historical Records”, the ancestor of the humanities Xuanyuan Huangdi once discussed medicine with Qi Bo, the originator of Chinese medicine, and wrote the world-famous “Huangdi Nei Jing”, which is also the name of the “Hometown of Qi Huang”. When you come to Qingyang, there are two must-visit attractions, one is Zhou Zu Mausoleum and the other is Beishiku Temple. The North Cave Temple is located at the foot of Fuzhong Mountain, 25 kilometers southwest of Qingyang City. It was founded by Jingzhou Governor Xi Kang in the second year of Yongping in the Northern Wei Dynasty (509 years). The South Cave Temple in Jingchuan County, Pingliang, Gansu was also excavated at the same time. , Two temples, one south and one north, are opposite each other, hence the name “North Cave Temple”. The entire group of grottoes is excavated on a red sandstone cliff 20 meters high and 120 meters long, with mountains and water behind, and beautiful scenery. For more than a thousand years, the Beishiku Temple has undergone successive additions and repairs in the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, and Qing dynasties. There are 307 large and small cave niches, 2,126 exquisite stone statues, and more than 150 inscriptions. It is a stone sculpture in Gansu Province. The remains of a cave group with the most concentrated art, its various stone carving art can be called the masterpiece of the Northern Wei grotto art, together with the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and Maijishan Grottoes, they are also known as the “Four Great Grottoes in Gansu”. The first grotto of the Beishiku Temple-Cave 165, is 14.6 meters high, 21.7 meters wide from north to south, and 15.7 meters deep. It was excavated by Jingzhou Governor Xi Kangsheng himself. It is the largest, richest and most valuable cave in Beishiku Temple. Cave. On the north and south sides of the cave gate are carved stone statues of the Heavenly King with a height of 5.8 meters, as well as inscriptions and inscriptions in ink scripts from the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods. There are 23 large stone statues and more than 110 relief statues in the cave. The altar in Cave 165 enshrines seven standing Buddha statues with a height of 8 meters. The one in the middle is Buddha Shakyamuni. The six Buddha statues on the left and right sides are the Buddha, the Buddha, the Buddha, and the Buddha. Detained Sun Buddha, Kunnagamuni Buddha, and Kassapa Bo Buddha. According to textual research, they are the earliest and most magnificent statues with the theme of “Seven Buddhas” in China, and their majestic aura is not lost to the four major grottoes in China. It is worth mentioning that these seven Buddha statues have round faces, thick lips, and strong physique. They have a clear temperament of the northern ethnic minorities. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, there were exactly seven emperors from Tuoba to Xuanwu Emperor Yuanke. Therefore, some experts and scholars speculated that these seven Buddha statues may be carved by Xi Kangsheng in the appearance of the seven emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty to extol the emperor’s merits. , To consolidate the ruling regime of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The walls of Cave 165 are carved with more than 110 relief statues of Buddhist stories such as “feeding the tiger” and “cutting the meat trade pigeon”. These statues are all dressed in peculiar clothes and have good-looking faces and are of high historical, archeological and artistic appreciation value. . Among them, the most exquisite carving technique is a 3.05 meter tall elephant riding bodhisattva. She wears a jade crown on her head and is graceful, which is extremely rare in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Due to the age, most of the cave statues in Beishiku Temple have been weathered. In recent years, the local government has allocated funds to strengthen and repair them. At present, the second floor and above of the cave have been closed. Friends who want to visit must act early. Transportation: Take the shuttle bus from Qingyang to Zhenyuan County (every 2 hours) and pass through Beishiku Temple. Or take a bus from Qingyang Airport to Qingyang South Bus Station, then transfer to a taxi to go to Beishiku Temple via Dongzhi Town.