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Yungang Caves and the 50,000 Buddhist Statues

Around 220 AD, Buddhism spread from India to China through the ancient sulk route where it prospered during the Han Dynasty. Thereafter, Buddhism played an important role in Chinese culture and history. Many instances of Buddhist cultural messages are still found in parts of China where these are now carefully preserved.

16 kilometers away from Datong city, an incredible number of Buddhist statues are found within grottos at the foot of the Wuzhou mountain. Called Yungang Grottos or cave clusters, it is one of the four famous ‘Buddhist Art Treasure Houses’ in China. Magnificent stone carvings numbering more than 50,000 in 253 grottos or caves on a wide range of subjects including Chinese and foreign art forms are so unique and inimitable in design and form that it was declared a world heritage site in 2001.

Representing early Chinese Buddhist cave art in all its finery, these statues attract tourists from near and far who come to marvel at their sculptural beauty. The Yungang cave art also portrays the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from Central Asia with Chinese cultural and edifying traditions during the 5th century AD. The grottos, incidentally signify the power and endurance of Buddhist beliefs in China ages earlier.

The amazing array of mode, manner and style adopted during creation of these statues and art forms is a source of wonder to the tourists visiting the Yunging caves. The ‘Flying Apsaras’ that flank the 17 meter high statue of Buddha at the center of cave number 17 is undoubtedly an Indian motif. But there are Persian and Byzantine armaments, Greek tridents and rock-hewn replicas of flowers and leaves of Mediterranean origin in other caves. They suggest European influence. Images of Hindu Gods like Vishnu and Shiva also adorn some of the bigger caves. However, Chinese dragons and Bodhisattvas mingle well with the foreign floral and decorative architecture.

The Yungang caves stretch for almost a kilometer east to west and cut into the southern cliffs of Wuzhou mountain. The Buddhist monk Tan Yao is believed to have supervised most of the stone carvings during the Northern Wei Dynasty when he was regarded as the ‘most wise man’. Acting on his words, five statues of emperors Taizu, Taizong, Shizu and Gaozu were installed in some of the caves that were known as the ‘Five Tan Yao caves’.

The Yungang caves may be divided into three major sub divisions – east, middle and west. While Pagodas dominate the eastern parts that are comparatively larger, the caves in the western part are small or medium sized with niches. Caves that constitute the mid portion are endowed with front and back awnings with Buddha statues dominating the center. A closer review of the cave archeology reveals a strong Indian Gandhara Buddhist art classically blended with traditional Chinese sculpture.

Caves that are of special attention are numbers 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 where Buddha is depicted in several forms. While in number 19 he is handsome, in 18 he is shown as dignified and lively. The statue in 20 is altogether different. It is martial and stately. However, a line of similarity links all of them. Thick lips, big noses, slanted eyes and broad shoulders depict a pronounced ethnic culture of the time.