Grotto Temple in Gongyi City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province｜A holy place for ancient emperors and empresses to worship Buddha.

[RoundNails] The Grotto Temple is located in Siwan Village, Heluo Town, Gongyi City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. The Grotto Temple was built in the second year of Xiping in the Northern Wei Dynasty (517), or in the Jingming period (500 to 503). It was originally named Xixuan Temple. It was renamed "Shifang Pure Land Temple" and then renamed Shiku Temple in the Qing Dynasty. It is an important Buddhist grotto in the Central Plains. The place where Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty became a monk. Many emperors including Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty Li Shimin worshipped Buddha in this holy place.

Behind the temple is a 120-meter-long grotto complex with tens of thousands of niches and statues. The "Emperor and Empress Worshipping Buddha" in the first cave is the best-preserved single piece in the country and is a priceless treasure.

[Star] Main highlights:

👉The Emperor and Empress Worshiping Buddha: This is the only complete painting in China, and it can be called a national treasure. Since the painting of emperor and empress worshiping Buddha from Longmen Grottoes was stolen abroad, this one is particularly precious.

👉The most beautiful flying fairies: with fluttering clothes and full of fairy spirit, they are mainly distributed around the niches and cave ceilings.

👉Thousand Buddha Shrine: Carved in the Tang Dynasty, the shrine is 1.5 meters high and about 3 meters wide. There are 999 small Buddha statues in total, plus the large Buddha statue in the middle, making a total of 1,000.

👉Two-faced statue: also known as hermaphrodite, rare in China.

🎫Tickets are 25 yuan, children are half price, P parking fee is 10 yuan, there is a manual interpretation service, about 40 yuan.


[Metro] Transportation:
Gongyi Grottoes Temple is located at the foot of Dali Mountain in Heluo Town, 5 kilometers north of Gongyi City, Henan Province. It is not far from Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Dengfeng. It is recommended to drive there! The tour time is about 1 hour.

Post by BeachBumming& | Sep 19, 2024