The official tourist plan of the grottoes
The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) comprise more than 2,300 caves and niches carved into the steep limestone cliffs over a 1km long stretch
The early caves were carved in late Northern Wei Dynasty (386 to 534 AD) and construction continued through to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD)
The Longmen bridge (龙门桥) spans across the Yi River (伊河)
View of the Longmen bridge from the main entrance to the grottoes
Main entrance at the west end of the Longmen bridge
Qianxi Temple (潜溪寺), 650 - 683 AD (唐高宗年间). Three saints of the Western Paradise (西方三圣): Amitabha (阿弥陀佛) sits between Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (观音菩萨) and…
One of the gatekeeper statues
Central Binyang Cave (宾阳中洞), 500 - 523 AD. Sakyamuni (释迦牟尼) statue with the Dharmachakra-Mudra gesture (说法印)
