South grotto Temple

South grotto Temple

South Grottoes temple is located in Jiangjia village, a hot spring Development Zone on the North Bank of Jinghe River in Jingchuan County, Gansu Province, 9 kilometers away from Jingchuan county. The stele of the South grotto Temple preserved in the cave bears the inscription of "the third year of Yongping of the great Wei Dynasty", which was built one year later in the North grotto temple.

brief introduction

The South grotto temple is located on the North Bank of the Jinghe River, 7.5 kilometers east of Jingchuan County, Pingliang City.

In the third year of Yongping in the Northern Wei Dynasty (510), Xi Kangsheng, the governor of Jingzhou, began to chisel. With Qingyang North Grottoes temple, known as "Longdong Grottoes double pearl.". There are five caves, all of which are located in the north and south.

Cave 1 is the most valuable, rectangular, 11 meters high, 18 meters wide and 13 meters deep. The square cave door has a square open window on the top of the front wall door and a bucket shaped top. On the main wall and the left and right platform of the cave, there are seven standing Buddhas, each of which is 7 meters high. They are decorated with a bun, a high nose and big ears. They have a plump face, long clothes and knees. They look solemn and peaceful. Each Buddha has two Bodhisattvas on both sides, a total of 14 Bodhisattvas. They are about 3.5 meters high, graceful and graceful. A Maitreya Bodhisattva is carved on both sides of the front wall door, 5 meters high. In the East, North and west of the cave top, there are stories of relief Buddha biography, including the birth under the tree, amituo Zhanxiang, singing and dancing in the palace, becoming a monk beyond the city, thinking under the tree, etc. The seven Buddha grottoes, which mainly show the seven Buddhas, first appeared in this grotto and the North grotto temple.

Cave 4 is a medium-sized square cave, with Manjusri Bodhisattva, Puxian Bodhisattva and Guanyin Bodhisattva in the middle. There are 16 Arhats, eight Bodhisattvas and six powerful men in three layers on both sides. All of them are stone and clay sculptures in the style of Tang Dynasty and late Qing Dynasty. In addition, there are several small niches in the Tang Dynasty. The stones are all weathered and the statues are not clear.

The original stele of the South Grottoes Temple (existing in the County Cultural Center) in the grottoes has more than 650 words, which records in detail the excavation time and the main creator of the South and North grottoes. This stele is not only the original basis for researching the founding time of the grottoes, but also the material material for studying local chronicles and officials. The list of 58 officials inscribed on the tablet can correct the mistakes in the book of Wei. In addition, his calligraphy art is also praised by later generations and included in a variety of stone books.

historical background

According to the stele of the South Grottoes temple, it was built by Xi Kangsheng, the governor of Jingzhou in the third year of Yongping (510 A.D.). The stele of the South grotto Temple preserved in the cave bears the inscription of "the third year of Yongping of the great Wei Dynasty", which was built one year later in the North grotto temple.

characteristic

The South grotto temple is also commonly known as the East cave. The cave niche is excavated on the red sandstone on the North Bank of the Jinghe River. There are 5 caves, No. 1 Dongda cave and No. 2 Xixiao cave, which are well preserved. Dongda Grottoes is the main grottoes of the South Grottoes temple. It is 13 meters high, 17 meters wide and 14 meters deep, with unique structure and magnificent shape. After entering the cave, there are 7 Buddha statues with a height of more than 2 meters surrounded by three walls. There are 13 Bodhisattvas on both sides. They are of different shapes and lifelike. They are in the style of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The top of the cave is full of reliefs, such as sacrificing oneself to feed tigers and playing games in the palace. The carving is concise and general, and the lines are vivid and fluent, which fully reflects the wisdom and vision of the ancient craftsmen for the future life.

The remaining four caves are small, with early murals exposed at the spalling place. Its style is very similar to that of the North grottoes, so it is called sister grottoes. There are more than 10 small niches on the cliff wall outside the cave, which were excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the middle and late Tang Dynasty. No. 1 grotto of South Grottoes temple is rectangular in plane, with a covered bucket top. Square open windows are chiseled on the top of the door. The grotto is 11 meters high, 18 meters wide and 13.20 meters deep. Its shape and structure are basically the same as that of cave 165 of the North Grottoes temple, but its scale is slightly smaller. The statues in the cave are seven Buddhas. The layout is three Buddhas on the north wall and two Buddhas on the East and west walls. On both sides of the curvilinear figure, there is a statue of Bodhisattva standing 6 meters high and 5 meters high. On both sides of the cave door are carved a Jiaojiao Bodhisattva about 3 meters high. Two men of force are carved on both sides of the door. There are many stories about the relief sculptures on the top of the cave, such as "birth under the tree", "entertainment in the palace" and "becoming a monk beyond the city". Buddha and Bodhisattva with a smile, beautiful appearance. The Buddha wears a broad robe and a cassock. The Bodhisattva bares his upper body, carries an arm brace, a collar and a bracelet, and wears a skirt. The broad shawl is folded from the shoulders to the front of the abdomen and sags around the elbow. Both Buddha and Bodhisattva are kind and natural. The story of Buddhism has a plot and a group of pictures with prominent theme and beautiful characters. Its carving techniques are concise, sophisticated and natural, with no sense of stiffness or artificiality, so it has a high artistic level.

In 1988, it was designated as a national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council.

Address: xiajiangjia village, hot spring Development Zone, Jingchuan County, Pingliang City

Longitude: 107.45400238037

Latitude: 35.366298675537

Ticket information: market price: 10.0 yuan

Chinese PinYin : Nan Shi Ku Si