Shigong Temple

Shigong Temple

Shigong temple is located in Huating city

Banchuan village, Shangguan Township, 11 kilometers south, is located in the north and south of the cave group. It was excavated in the first year of Yanchang in the Northern Wei Dynasty (512 A.D.). The caves are located on a sandy cliff about 120 meters long from east to west. There are 14 existing caves. In 1981, Gansu Provincial People's government announced it as a provincial cultural relics protection unit. There is a four meter high and 36 meter long cement plank road for tourists to visit. The Huating shigongsi grottoes, excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty more than 1400 years ago, are famous for their long history and exquisite Buddhist statue art in Gansu and even the northwest, which can be called a wonderful work of Historical Archaeology and cultural tourism.

introduce

Shigongsi grottoes are located in Huating city

Banchuan village, Shangguan Township, is separated from the Shangguan River, a tributary of sheshui River, facing the famous Taoist mountain Longmen cave in China. According to relevant historical records, Huating town was established in the second year of Putai in the Northern Wei Dynasty. This is Huating city

At the beginning of the establishment, the Northern Wei Dynasty was founded in 386 A.D. and lost in 534 A.D. Huating town was set up only two years before the fall of the Northern Wei Dynasty. According to this analysis, the saying that "Shigong temple first and Huating city later" is not groundless.

Shigongsi Grottoes is located in banchuan village, Shangguan Township, 11 kilometers south of the city. It is one of the cultural sites on the ancient Silk Road. In 1965, it was listed as a provincial cultural protection unit. The caves are located in the north and south. They were excavated in the first year of Yanchang in the Northern Wei Dynasty (512 AD). They are carved on a cliff about 5-10 meters high from the ground. The cliff is about 20 meters high and 120 meters long from east to west. There are 14 caves and 100 statues. Most of them are round and relief carvings. The height of Buddha, Bodhisattva, bhikkhu and Dharma protector is more than 1 meter The head is vivid, dynamic, lifelike, beautiful and moving. The size of the statue in the niche is like a real person. The body is short, the clothing is smooth, kind and gentle, handsome and beautiful, and the face and eyebrows are very vivid. There is exaggeration in the realism, like Buddha and Bodhisattva, which is both transcendent and taciturn. In particular, the images of Bodhisattvas and their caregivers, with towering hair and beard, moth eyebrows and Phoenix eyes, slightly opened lips, affectionate smile and lifelike, are of high artistic value.

Shigong temple was excavated in the first year of Yanchang in the Northern Wei Dynasty (512 AD). Its shape, structure, layout, carving technique and statue posture are unique. The statues and mural reliefs preserved in these caves and niches are of moderate proportion, slim figure, smooth clothing pattern and vivid and dignified facial expression. In 1981, Gansu Provincial People's government announced it as a provincial cultural relics protection unit.

Since the Buddhism culture was introduced into China in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was gradually carried forward by the Three Kingdoms, the two Jin Dynasties and the northern and Southern Dynasties, and had a profound impact on China's politics, economy, literature and art, folk customs and social ideology. At that time, from the emperors and generals to the common people, carved grottoes and stone statues were carried forward as a cause of public morality. People also carved grottoes, stone Buddhas, stone statues and brick statues to pray for good weather, peace of the country and the people, harmony of the family and prosperity of their children and grandchildren.

Shigongsi grottoes were built in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, when Buddhism flourished. Although they have experienced natural weathering and man-made destruction, they present the round and relief sculptures in front of modern people with exquisite patterns, exaggeration in realism, flexibility in static state, amiable and beautiful features, which are extremely spiritual. Based on the shape of the existing 14 caves and the artistic style and characteristics of hundreds of round and relief sculptures, Shigong temple is one of the most representative caves in the late Northern Wei Dynasty in Northwest China, which has high artistic and historical value for the study of ancient politics, economy and culture in China.

Shigongsi Grottoes is located in the fertile field between a back north to South half of the cliff, here surrounded by mountains, mild climate, mountains and rivers, lush forest and grass, traffic location is superior. It is 83 kilometers away from Pingliang City in the north, 30 kilometers away from Longxian County in Baoji City in the south, 20 kilometers away from Hailong cave in the west, 33 kilometers away from Huating County in the north, 2 kilometers away from Longmen cave, a famous mountain integrating religion and Forest Park, 35 kilometers away from Ankou ancient porcelain kiln site, less than 5 kilometers away from the scenic Jingfu mountain. The majestic Guanshan Mountain runs through the southwest, and the Tongxiang oil road passes through the front of the grottoes.

history

According to historical records, it was in Huating city in 532 ad, the second year of Putai in the Northern Wei Dynasty

Donghua town was built into Huating town. This is Huating city

At the beginning of the establishment, it was under the jurisdiction of Qinzhou. In history, the Northern Wei Dynasty was founded in the first month of 386 A.D. and was defeated in 534 A.D. it existed for only 148 years. It was only two years before the fall of the Northern Wei Dynasty that Huating town was established. According to the folklore of "Shigong temple first and Huating city later", Shigong Temple existed at the beginning of Huating town. Although the Northern Wei Dynasty was a feudal regime established by ethnic minorities in the north of China, the founding emperor Daowu tuobafen respected the living habits of the Han people very much. He took the lead in wearing Hanfu, speaking Chinese and following the Han rules, and soon realized the transition from nomadic to agricultural civilization. At the same time, he greatly promoted Buddhism and built temples. Buddhism soon flourished in the whole country and scattered in our city Most of the grottoes are religious relics of the spread and development of Buddhism in this period.

Buddhism originated in ancient India. Due to the geographical conditions at that time, it was impossible to cross the Himalayas directly to the East. Instead, the land route was brought in by Arab merchants along the Silk Road, and the water route came from the South China Sea. At that time, the water route was well developed. However, Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty made an early mission to the western regions and opened up the Silk Road, which was an important way for the exchange of eastern and Western civilizations. It can be seen that Buddhism spread from west to East Most likely. The yunya Temple grottoes, Chenjia cave grottoes, South grottoes, Luohan cave grottoes and Wangmu palace Grottoes in Zhuanglang County of our city are basically Buddhist cultural relics of this period, although they were excavated at different times.

Although the largest Grottoes in shigongsi grottoes are carved with the shape of one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas, and the top is made of lotus, there is another grotto in the south, and another grotto in the south. This grotto takes a wooden ladder to go up, and there is another small grotto with a small window connected with the outside. From the outside, there is only a window door, but no door, which is very secret. It is a good place for monks to meditate. No wonder Baixin calls it a stone The original mystery of Cuishan Temple lies here. Qingyang North grotto temple is only one entrance, while Jingchuan Wangmu palace grottoes are in the central Buddha style, which is different from Shigong Temple grottoes.

The biggest tragedy of shigongsi Grottoes happened around 1867, the fifth year of Tongzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Northwest Hui people revolted one after another because they could not bear the brutal rule of the Qing Dynasty, which brought great pain to the local people's life. In order to avoid war casualties, the local people took refuge in shigongsi and were burned by the rebel army Local old people said that after the disaster, there was only a fire for more than a month. The ruins of the temple capital and the refugees were all burned to death. Since then, nine villages have been smoke-free, and there has been no great development in production and life for a long time. The most recent tragedy of Shigong Temple happened in the 1980s. At that time, a young teacher in tiemahe village primary school, xinjichuan Township, Longxian County, Shaanxi Province, was fascinated by money. In order to make a fortune, he, together with several thieves, stole the five most precious Buddha heads with knives and axes. Although the criminal was later arrested and sentenced to Fufa, the Buddha heads could not grow.

Architectural landscape

The cave is 3 kilometers south of Shangwu town in Huating city. There are 14 existing caves and niches, all of which are stone carvings. The largest caves are cave 2 and cave 6, which are quite grand in scale. Three Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are built in the caves, and heavenly kings are carved on both sides of the front wall door. Cave 6 is 8 meters high and the Buddha is 6 meters high. The statues of the two caves were destroyed in the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1862-1874). Only a few rows of reliefs on the side of the door of cave 6 still exist, all wearing robes and costumes, which is the image of the donors after the Northern Wei Dynasty changed to Hu costume.

Shigongsi grottoes are carved on the yellow sandstone cliff 5-10 meters away from the earth's surface. There are 14 grottoes, of which the space of No. 2 and No. 6 Grottoes is about 10 meters, and there are remains of statues, dozens of donors on both sides of the doors and windows of the south wall of the Grottoes, and statues of Vajra and Hercules. The statues of No. 1 grottoes were destroyed by the cliff collapse in the early years, and the remaining 11 are small and medium-sized grottoes of 0.5-2.5 meters. From the perspective of carving art, the statue of cave 11 is the most exquisite and well preserved. It is located in the center of the whole cave carving. There are four groups of eight bottles of flying Apsaras on the top. The image is elegant and vivid, like a fairy falling from the sky. The statues on the south wall are exquisite and lifelike. In particular, caves 7 and 8 are carved with statues and stories of Sakyamuni and Duobao, which are more beautiful and moving. Their artistic attainments are comparable to those of Yungang Grottoes, the largest carving art treasure in China during the northern and Southern Dynasties.

Shigongsi grottoes are grape style conjoined Grottoes excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty. This style is also rare in the national Grottoes art. It is valuable material for studying the spread, development, prosperity and expansion of Buddhism in China. In the largest grottoes of Shigong temple, the shape of one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas was cut, and the lotus covered the top. On the side of the grottoes, another grotto was cut, and then another grotto was cut. On the top of the grotto, a wooden ladder was built, and then a small grotto was seen. There were small windows connected with the outside. On the outside, there were only windows but no doors, which was very secret. It was a good place for monks to practice. No wonder the local people called it Shicuishan temple.

The largest caves in Gongsi grottoes are cave 2 and cave 6, which are quite grand in scale. Three Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are built in the caves, and heavenly kings are carved on both sides of the front wall door. Cave 6 is 8 meters high and the Buddha is 6 meters high. The statues of the two caves were created in the reign of emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty (18

Chinese PinYin : Shi Gong Si