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Binglingsi
is located in smaller Jishi Mountain, 35 kilometers south-west
of Yongjing county in Gansu province. "Bingling" means
"thousand Buddhas" or "ten-thousand Buddhas"
in the Tibetan language. The Grottoes carved into the cliffs of
red sand-stones at both ends of Dasigou (valley) was first constructed
in the Western Qin Dynasty, and continuously went on expansion
on a massive scale through the dynasties of Northern and Western
Wei, Northern Zhou, Shui, Tang, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. The Grottoes
consist of three parts: Shangsi, Donggou, and Xiasi. Shangsi were
ruined by fire and what remained are only a few statues of Buddhas.
In Xiasi, there are 34 caves and 14 niches still existing. They
contain 694 stone statues, 82 clay figures, 5 stone carvings and
clay pagodas and 900 square meters of murals. Binglingsi is one
of the ten largest Chinese grottoes.
Cave No.171 houses the largest Buddhist statue,
27 meters high, with its upper body carved into the cliff and
lower body made of clay. The statue seated cross-legged in meditation
on a pedestal with the right hand resting on the lap and the left
hand on the abdomen was sculptured in the 19th year of Dezong
Reign of the Tang Dynasty (803). Grotto No.169 is the tallest
one carved within a natural cave 8 meters deep, 26 meters wide
and 18 meters high, the shape of which is similar to that of the
opposite mountain rang across the river.
The walls of the grotto are covered with niches,
only 24 of which still exist, enshrining 19 stone statues and
39 clay figures. The grotto also houses the largest mural in Binglingsi,
which is still bright and beautiful in color.
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