Yungang Grottoes

Around 400AD, Buddhism made its mark on China.  In 453AD, the area that is currently Datong (at the northern tip of Shanxi province right near Inner Mongolia) was the capital of the Northern Wei dynasty.  They showed their devotion to the Buddha by carving out these caves, which from the outside look like a bunch of windows.

Caves 1 and 2, at the eastern end have a central pillar which acts as a stupa.

Along the wall are thousands of smaller buddhas.

And the caves were originally painted bright colors.

Sometimes, one has to climb into a cave....

And you find something like this.

Here's a student standing at the base to provide some perpsective.

As you walk, the upper hole is actually a window to allow light to illuminate the buddha.

In cave 5, one has a monumental buddha with a gold face and blue hair.

I know that each hand position is a different message, but I don't know what they are.  There is some general weathering and deterioration, but these carvings have fared pretty well for 1,500 years.

In cave 20, is the Yungang's most famous Buddha.  Notice the static sitting position which is characteristic of the Northern Wei.