The Tianlongshan Grottoes are located on the Tianlong Mountain, 40 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan City, and 15.3 kilometers northwest of Jinci Temple. After being excavated in the Northern Qi, Sui and Tang dynasties, there are 25 grottoes in total, which are arranged between the east and west peaks and cliffs, stretching for more than 1 kilometer. Ranked sixth in the Great Grotto.
▲Picture: Manshan Pavilion in Tianlong Mountain
The Tianlongshan Grottoes are located halfway up the cliffs of the east and west peaks. Among these grottoes, there are twenty-seven stone kiln caves excavated in the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, and Tang dynasties.
▲Picture: Stone Carving of Feng Yuxiang’s Poetry in Tianlong Mountain
▲Picture: Ancient pines and cypresses in Tianlong Mountain
There are eight caves in the east peak, thirteen caves in the west peak, three caves in the north of the mountain, and three caves in the southwest of the temple. The mountain paths between the caves are connected. There are more than 1,500 statues in the grottoes, and 1,144 reliefs, caissons and portraits.
▲Picture: Stone sculpture of Manshan Pavilion in Tianlong Mountain
The sculpture technique of Tianlongshan Grottoes is a step forward compared with the Northern Wei Dynasty. Cave Ninth, the original wooden structure “Manshan Pavilion”, the Tang Dynasty grottoes in the pavilion are divided into upper and lower floors, the upper floor is Maitreya Buddha, the seated statue is about 8 meters high, although some parts are damaged, it is still the best preserved in Tianlongshan Grottoes A stone statue.
▲Picture: Manshan Pavilion Buddha Statue in Tianlong Mountain
On the lower floor, the statue of Avalokitesvara is 11 meters high, with vivid shape and graceful posture. It is covered with wreaths, and its body is plump. The thin and soft gauze has a clear texture.
The excavation time of each cave is different, and the Tang Dynasty is the most. It is famous for its exquisite and realistic stone carvings, delicate and emotional expressions.
▲Picture: Grottoes in Tianlong Mountain, Taiyuan
Among them, Cave No. 9, which has a wooden attic with four double eaves and a two-story upper and lower floors, is the most worth seeing in the late Tang Dynasty. The 8.8-meter-high seated Maitreya Buddha statue on the upper floor has a beautiful head and neck, eyebrows and round eyes, long and straight ears, and smooth clothes. The 9-meter-high 11-sided Avalokitesvara statue on the lower floor is graceful in posture, draped in wreaths and elegant in gauze, vivid and natural, with strong artistic appeal, and can be called a masterpiece of ancient Chinese sculpture art.
▲Picture: Grottoes in Tianlong Mountain, Taiyuan
The statues of Manjusri riding a green lion and Puxian riding a white elephant on both sides of the Avalokitesvara are also fine sculptures of the Tang Dynasty.
On the mountainside are grottoes, and at the foot of the mountain is Shengshou Temple. The Tianlongshan Grottoes are in the same scenic area as the Shengshou Temple.
Tianlong Temple, which was renamed Shengshou Temple in the Song Dynasty, caught fire in 1948 and the temple was burned down. In 1981, the Nanda Temple in the southern suburb of Taiyuan was moved to the mountain, and it has been completely renovated.
1. Tianlongshan Grottoes Scenic Spot Level: National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, Provincial Scenic Spot;
2. Tickets for Tianlongshan Grottoes scenic spot: 30 yuan;
3. Opening hours of Tianlongshan Grottoes: 8:30~17:30;
4. The best time to visit Tianlongshan Grottoes: spring, autumn and summer;
5. Tianlongshan Grottoes consulting telephone: 0351~6349668;
6. Address of Tianlongshan Grottoes Scenic Spot: Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province;
7. How to get to the Tianlongshan Grottoes in Taiyuan?
A. Take the car route:
Take the minibus of Jinci Temple Tianlong Mountain Tourist Peak Tourist Line. Take bus No. 308 (formerly No. 8) from the railway station to Jinci Temple, and then take a tourist minibus to Tianlong Mountain to go directly to the top of the mountain.
B. Self-driving tour route:
Drive north along the road on the west side of Jinci Town, and go northwest along the Tianlong Mountain Tourist Road for 15 kilometers to Tianlong Mountain.
Article source: https://www.caoyuantianlu.org/sight/9752.html