Longmen Grottoes

Located 12 kilometres south of Luoyang in Henan province, China, the Longmen Grottoes comprise 2,345 caves housing as many as 100,000 Buddhist statues carved into limestone cliffs [1]. Statues range from just 1 inch to 57 feet in height, and the site contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, earning it the nickname "Forest of Ancient Stelae" [2]. Carving began in 493 AD during the Northern Wei dynasty, with 30% of caves from this period and 60% from the Tang dynasty [1]. The grottoes represent some of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art [1].