Bingling Temple Grottoes Travel Guide

Scenic spot introduction:

The Bingling Temple Grottoes, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and Maijishan Grottoes are also known as the "Three Major Grottoes in Gansu". "Biling" means "Thousand Buddhas" or "One Hundred Thousand Buddhas" in Tibetan. The Grottoes are located in the west of Yongjing County, Gansu Province. Located about 50 kilometers away from Jishi Mountain, it was first built in 420 AD and has a history of more than 1,600 years. It is famous for its stone carvings, and its artistic value is second only to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.

Attractions distribution:

Bingling Temple, formerly known as Longxing Temple, also known as Lingyan Temple, is divided into two parts: the upper temple and the lower temple. The lower temple was built in the early 6th century AD, and the upper temple was built between the 7th and 10th centuries. The niches of the entire grotto are carved into the cliff on the west side of Dashigou. The cliff is 2 kilometers long and has four floors, varying in height. The caves above are the works of the Western Qin, Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties, with about two-thirds from the Tang Dynasty. According to statistics, there are 183 caves and niches (including 34 caves and 149 niches), 694 large and small Buddha statues, and 82 clay sculptures. There are also 1 square stone tower, 4 mud towers and about 900 square meters of murals. When the Liujiaxia Hydropower Station was built in 1967, in order to protect the grottoes, a waterproof embankment was built in front of the grottoes. It is about 200 meters long and 20 meters high. The scenery is spectacular with sparkling blue waves in front of the dam and Cui Wei behind the dam.

Scenic spot features:

Cultural tourism, Buddhist culture, grottoes, Buddha statues, rivers, canyons