Early Buddhist Sculpture

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Early Buddhist Sculpture
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The Caves of Yungang

• Located in the Shanxi Province of China
• Represent early Buddhist art in China.
• Carved 1500 years ago

http//www.hillmanwonders.com/china/yungang.htm
http//www.china.org.cn/english/features/43602.htm
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Who built the caves?

• Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534)
• Under Guidance of monk Tan Yao
• 453-493

http//www.paulnoll.com/China/Dynasty/dynasty-Thre
e-Kingdoms.html
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The Caves of Yungang

• Yungang consists of
• 53 caves
• And over 51,000 carvings depicting Buddha and his
  life

http//www.china.org.cn/english/kuaixun/75235.htm
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Group 1

• Caves 1-4

• Cave 3
• http//www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/shanxi/dat
  ong/yungang_grottoes/0023394.htm

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Group 2

• Caves 5-13
• Links
• Cave5
• http//www.chinavr.net/shanxi/datong/ygsk_e.htm

Picture http//www.orientalarchitecture.com/daton
g/YUNGANG11.htm cave 13
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Yungang CavesEntrance to Cave 7
http//www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/shanxi/dat
ong/yungang_grottoes/0023428.htm
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Group 3

• Caves 14-53
• Caves numbering 16 to Cave 20 are the oldest in
  this complexes and each one symbolizes an emperor
  from the Northern Wei Dynasty
• Emperor is the Buddha
• Caves 21 and up were built later on and not as
  impressive.

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Cave 20 (Sakyamuni)
http//www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/shanxi/dat
ong/yungang_grottoes/0023537.htm
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Longmen Caves

• 100,000 images of Buddha
• 2345 caves
• Created during the Northern Wei and Tang
  dynasties

http//www.answers.com/main/ntquery?method4dsnam
eWikipediaImagesdekeyLongmen-grottoes-longmen-
mountain-from-a-distance.jpggwp8
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Where are they?
http//www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/henan/
http//www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/henan/l
uoyang/
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Why were they Created?

• The northern Wei Dynasty changed capitals from
  Datong to Luoyang.
• The Buddhists needed a closer place to worship.

http//www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/henan/l
uoyang/longmen.htm
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Fengxian Temple

• The core of the longmen caves
• 672-675
• Also called the eastern Mona Lisa or the
  Mother of China

http//www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/henan/luoy
ang/longmen_grottoes/0005711.htm
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Middle Binyang Cave

• Constructed during Northern Wei Dynasty
• Constructed from 500-523

http//www.answers.com/main/ntqueryjsessionid7ra
9xvez8ni1?method4dsid2222dekeyMiddleBinyang
Cavegwp8curtab2222_1sbidlc02a
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Lianhua Cave (Lotus Cave)

• Construction started around 527
• The Buddha at the center of the cave measures 15ft

http//www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/henan/l
uoyang/longmen.htm
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References

• http//www.chinaetravel.com/attraction/att25a.html
  
• http//www.hillmanwonders.com/china/yungang.htm
• http//www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanxi/
  datong/yungang_grottoes.htm
• http//www.china.org.cn/english/kuaixun/75235.htm
• http//www.chinavr.net/shanxi/datong/ygsk_e.htm
• http//www.chinaknowledge.de/Art/Grottoes/grottoes
  .html
• http//www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/henan/l
  uoyang/longmen.htm