Sheep Mountain Grottoes

Sheep Mountain Grottoes

Yangtoushan grottoes, located at the top of Yangtou mountain, Shennong Town, Gaoping City, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, is 2000 meters above sea level. It is named because the giant rock on the top of the mountain looks like a sheep's head. It is 2 meters high, 2 meters wide and nearly 3 meters long. Its head faces southeast. It carries a 2-meter-high square stone pillar. It is surrounded by niches carved with one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas.

Yangtou mountain, also known as Shouyang mountain, is located at the junction of Lu county and Ze county. The so-called "mountain range is limited to two counties, and its foothills span three cities. The mountain is more than a thousand feet high and majestic for tens of miles". There are two square stone pagodas on the top of the mountain. On the side of the pagoda, there are statues of foyang Buddha niche. The head and tail are clear. The shape of the hill is sheep's head, so it is called yangtoushan Fancha, which is called Qinghua temple.

Historical origin

According to records, it was built in the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (477-499). It was originally named Dingguo temple. In the Northern Qi Dynasty, it was renamed Hongfu temple. In the late Sui Dynasty, the temple was abandoned. It was rebuilt in the second year of Emperor Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty (691) and changed to Qinghua. Today, the buildings of Qinghua Temple no longer exist. There are still three stone Buddha statues, one Ming stele and hall sites, but the statues and pagodas of the temple from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties remain the same. The front of Yangtou mountain has a high peak, and the left and right mountains stretch forward. It is shaped like a dustpan. The stone statues are distributed in it. The stone carving statue and stone pagoda of the sheep head mountain are the essence of the historical relics of the sheep head mountain. Its distribution, some on the top of the mountain, some on the hillside, some caves, some niches, the original scale and order can not be tested, the status quo can be divided into nine areas. There are 22 large niches and more than 80 small niches. Most of the caves are square. There is also a thousand Buddha stele, which is from the Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. There are six stone pagodas carved on the mountaintop and hillside. They are made in the Tang Dynasty, with a height of 4-6 meters. There are two kinds of square and round planes, seven stories high, dense eaves, two stories low, and pavilion style. They are simple in shape and simple in technique, which are rare in other places.

geographical environment

Yangtou mountain, also known as Shouyang mountain, is located at the junction of Lu county and Ze county. The so-called "mountain range is limited to two counties, and the foothills span three cities. The mountain is more than a thousand feet high and majestic for tens of miles". There are two square stone pagodas on the top of the mountain. On the side of the pagoda, there are statues of foyang Buddha niche. The head and tail are clear. The shape of the hill is sheep's head, so it is called yangtoushan Fancha, which is called Qinghua temple.

It is said that Shennong got Jiahe. Yangtou mountain is the main place for Buddhist activities. Temples, caves and other buildings are scattered on the mountain. At the foot of the mountain is zhongqinghua temple, also known as lotus pool and Liuming temple. On the hillside is shangqinghua temple, which does not exist now. The site of the Tang Dynasty and three stone Buddha statues can be seen. The building is of great scale.

Yangtou mountain controls the three Jin Dynasties in the north, the Central Plains in the south, Qilu in the East, and Sichuan and Shaanxi in the West. In this beautiful and heavy land, more than 2000 years ago, the "battle of Changping" which influenced later generations took place. In the late Warring States period, the powerful state of Qin wanted to unify the six states. In 262 BC, the state of Qin launched a war to attack South Korea. In the war, general Bai Qi of Qin made a countermove, which made king Zhao Xiaocheng replace the famous general Lian Po of Zhao state, who had rich experience in the war, and Zhao Kuo, who was good at "talking on paper" but had no actual combat experience, was employed. After 40 days of siege, the Zhao army had no food to help. After 450000 people were captured, they were all killed at the foot of Yangtou mountain. There are many corpses, mountains of heads and rivers of blood. It has become the most cruel battle to kill prisoners of war in the history of ancient and modern Chinese and foreign wars.

Scenic spot landscape

Cave 1

The scale of No.1 grotto is small. There is a Buddha, a second son, a second Bodhisattva and a second Heavenly King carved in the grotto. In the rosette of Buddha, there are two donors kneeling on their knees and looking up respectfully; the bracelets and earrings of Bodhisattva are clearly visible, and the heavenly kings on both sides are wearing armor, holding weapons and stepping on ghosts, which is a typical style of Tang Dynasty.

Cave 2

There is no main cave in cave 2. There are 22 niches on the surface. Buddha and Bodhisattva are plump, and Bodhisattvas also have the phenomenon of lifting their hips and twisting their arms. Under the rosette of Buddha, there are abundant patterns of rolled grass, and the rosette is held up in the shape of a dwarf beast. Generally speaking, it belongs to the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Cave 3

There are statues of Bodhisattvas carved on both sides of the gate of cave 3. Their facial expressions are quite weathered, but it can still be seen that the Bodhisattvas' hairstyle is high bun, and their clothes are flowing and natural. There are two caves in one cave, and the doors of the two caves are different. On the front is the Fengniao gate, two winged Phoenix, with flowers and plants carved around; on the east side of the grottoes are two dragons. There are more than 30 niches on the surface of the cave. On the whole, it was in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Cave 4

Cave No. 4 is relatively small in scale. The most distinctive feature is the statues of the two powerful men outside the gate. They are all auspicious beasts with extraordinary power, which adds some vitality to the solemn Buddhist holy land. The face of the Bodhisattva statue on the east side of the Grottoes is still very clear, loving and kind, and the earrings and bracelets are also very obvious.

Cave 5

Cave No.5 is the largest group of cave and niche statues in the yangtoushan grottoes. It features three caves in one stone and a larger door. Two powerful men are carved on both sides of the door. They face each other with their heads up. The shape is vivid and they step on auspicious beasts. There are stones on the door of the grottoes to protect it from the wind and rain. Most of the original inscriptions in the cave are now illegible, only the inscriptions on the lower right side of the main wall are still visible. The year number is the second year of the Zhengshi reign of the great Wei Dynasty. In 505 ad, the cave on the east side goes deep and shallow. It is carved with the two Buddhas of shijiaduobao, "xiuguqingxiang", with big arms over knees and slender limbs, which is a typical style of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Cave 6

There is no main cave in cave 6. All of them are large niches. The south one is larger. Outside the lintel of the niches, there is a sitting Buddha in the middle. On both sides are kneeling statues of disciples. The Buddha's clothes are also different from those in other places. The lapel is decorated with Huizi pattern. The band on the neck is like a cross. The bald head is flower shaped. The flame pattern is backlit and there are vertical flying sky patterns around it.

Cave 7

Cave 7 is also called thousand Buddha cave. There is no main Buddha in the cave, and there are 1680 small Buddhas carved all over the cave, so it is named Qianfo cave. On both sides of the cave door are high relief figures of Li Shi, each of whom is a reclining master, with a natural and vivid shape. There are more than 1680 small Buddha statues on the four walls of the cave. The thousand Buddha cave is composed of two huge stones. We have to marvel at the wisdom and exquisite craftsmanship of the ancients.

Cave 8

Cave 8 is built on the top of Yangtou mountain. The top, South and east parts of the grottoes did not exist and were bombed by Japanese planes during the Anti Japanese war. Next to it is a huge stone shaped like a sheep's head, which is said to have been destroyed because the eldest son and Gaoping people argued about the orientation of the sheep's head.

The local people of cave 9 call it "Youlan cave". There are more than 100 small niches carved on the four walls of the cave, with the donor's name engraved between each line. There are four sharp corners and a lotus with a diameter of 40 cm carved in the middle of the top. It is now toppling. Even those over 80 years old have never known why.

building structure

From the mountainside to the top of the mountain, there are more than 40 caves, carved on large sandstone. The caves are of different sizes. Most of them are square in plane. Generally, there are one cave with one stone, and some of them have two or three caves with one stone. The sixth cave is the largest. The niches in the grottoes are neat and full of Buddha statues, or two disciples of one Buddha, or two Bodhisattvas of one Buddha. There are many small niches outside the cave, including Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, heavenly kings, powerful men, donors, etc. In addition, from the mountainside to the top of the mountain, there is a thousand Buddha statue stele. There are six Tang stone pagodas, which are about 4-6 meters high. There are four statues on the top of the mountain. The shape of the tower is unique. It was made in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the tower base is Fuyang. Yangtoushan grottoes were excavated from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. Yangtouxizhao is one of the eight scenic spots in Gaoping.

On the hillside, there is a stele in the thousand Buddha Hall, which is 4 meters high, 1 meter wide and 40 cm thick. There are more than 2000 small Buddha statues carved on all sides. Five niches are carved at the bottom of the stele. A large flame shaped niche is carved in the center of the front body of the stele, with one sitting Buddha inside. Two niches are carved in the side of the stele, which is one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. The hair is smooth, the face is square and round, the clothes are broad, and the shoulders are flat. From the perspective of modeling style, this stele is rare in China and belongs to the style of Northern Wei Dynasty.

The main peak of yangtoushan Grottoes is located in the first area. There are two pagodas and one Buddha niche. The niche is made of three huge stones. The lower part is lying sheep, the middle part is Buddha niche, and the upper part is tile dragon roof. There is one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas in the niche. The Buddha statues sit at the beginning. The face type and clothing are all in the style of Northern Wei Dynasty. The "eighty eight Buddha" cave on the top of the southwest mountain (also known as the right peak) is more than 200 meters away from the Yangtou shrine, which is listed as the second area. There are three caves and niches, which are divided into upper and lower layers. In front of the cave, there are two vajras standing outside the door, one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas sitting in front of the cave. Bodhisattvas stand around the main Buddha. Eighty seven niches are carved around the cave, and one Buddha is set inside. They are all sitting. Together with the main Buddha, there are eighty-eight statues. Hence the name of the cave. A niche in the south of the cave is carved with one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. It has a slightly beautiful face and a slender figure. After the cave is higher, also known as the upper cave, the cave tower has been destroyed. There is a cave under the pagoda. It is square, with windows and doors facing south. There are three statues. The main Buddha on the front and west side has disappeared. There are still one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas on the east side and the left side of the west corner. It has a beautiful face, a self-confident manner and a skilled and refined carving technique. According to the style of the statues, they are both relics of the Qi and Sui dynasties.

The third area is the thousand Buddha cave, which is located in the middle of the mountain. The cave is square, surrounded by small niches and nearly a thousand statues, so it is called the thousand Buddha cave. The statues here are all Tang Dynasty style. The fourth area is Fangta Grottoes area, the fifth area is Yuanta Grottoes area, the sixth area is Duobao Grottoes area, the seventh area is Dashi Grottoes area, the eighth area is Foshan area, and the ninth area is Tang Dynasty Grottoes area. In these niches, most of the statues are muscular and have close fitting clothes, which are of high artistic value.

In the west of the Qinghua Temple site, the thousand Buddha stele is carved with Buddha statues on all sides. In the center of the front of the stele, a large flame shaped niche is carved, with a sitting Buddha inside. In the side, two Buddha statues are carved, one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas.

Chinese PinYin : Yang Tou Shan Shi Ku