(Place of the day, from pictures I have taken.) [Western China, The Bingling Temple. Comment: A week or two ago I showed some pictures heading up the Yellow River on a small boat. We were traveling, three hours each way, to see the Bingling Temple which Wikipedia defines as: “a series of grottoes filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves and caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River. The caves were a work in progress for more than a millennium. The first grotto was begun around 420 CE at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty. Work continued and more grottoes were added during the Wei, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The style of each grottoe can easily be connected to the typical artwork from its corresponding dynasty. The Bingling Temple is both stylistically and geographically a midpoint between the monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan and the Buddhist Grottoes of central China. Over the centuries, earthquakes, erosion, and looters have damaged or destroyed many of the caves and the artistic treasures within. Altogether there are 183 caves, 694 stone statues, and 82 clay sculptures that remain. The relief sculpture and caves filled with buddhas and frescoes line the northern side of the canyon for about 200 meters. Each cave is like a miniature temple filled with Buddhist imagery. These caves culminate at a large natural cavern where wooden walkways precariously wind up the rock face to hidden cliff-side caves and the giant Maitreya Buddha that stands more than 27 meters, or almost 100 feet, tall.” In the final picture, you’ll see me at the foot of that Buddha, where, perhaps, I belong.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 14:14:21 +0000
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