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Yungang Grottoes Picture

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The Yungang Grottoes are a collection of shallow caves located 16 km west of Datong…

The Yungang Grottoes are a collection of shallow caves located 16 km west of Datong. There are over 50,000 carved images and statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas within these grottoes, ranging from 4 centimeters to 7 meters tall. Yungang Grottoes were built against the mountain and extend about 1 km (0.62 miles) from east to west. The construction of the caves was started under the auspices of the noted monk Tan Yao in 453 and took 50 years to complete. Some 40,000 people, including the Buddhists from what is present Sri Lanka, contributed to the huge project. The Sitting Giant Buddha (Sakyamuni) statue is the representative of Buddha sculptures in Yungang Grottoes…