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Yungang Grottoes
Yungang Grottoes, some 16 kilometers
west of Datong, contain China's largest and earliest stone
sculpture. These are known as one of the three major cave
complexes in China, the others being the earlier Mogao Grottoes
at Dunhuang in Gansu and the later Longmen Caves at Luoyang
in Henan. The sculptural works at Yungang are noted for
the fleshy, vigorous features and rich variety.
Back in the fourth century, during the later
part of the period known as the Southern and Northern Dynasties,
Datong was made the capital of the Northern Wei(368-534).
This state was made by Tuoba Gui, a member of the militant
Tuoba clan of the nomadic Xianbei tribe from the north.
By the end of the fifth century, the Northern Wei had conquered
a large part of northern China, and they were quick to intermarry
with the Han Chinese and absorb their Culture. Great artistic
progress was made during this period,
The Northern Wei court looked to Nuddhism
as the state religion. By 446, however the reigning sovereign
Taiwu, prompted by his chief minister, Cui Hao, turned against
Buddhism and burnt down large number of monasteries and
temples, forcing the monks to return to the secular life.
Soon afterwards, Taiwu fell seriously ill and wondered if
the was the retribution for what he had done to Buddhism.
After his demise, his son succeeded him,
becoming Emperor Wencheng. In an effort to redeem his father's
sin, he decreed the restoration of the religion and embarked
on a large-scale programme of monastery-building. He went
so far as to spend his entire tax revenues on the Lingyan
Monastery, now known as the Yungang Grottoes.
Construction of these cave temples began
between 460 and 465. The first five caves were excavated
under the auspices of the noted monk Tan Yao. More than
1000 caves, big and small, were finished in the following
years and it was not until 494, when the Northern Wei court
moved its capital to Luoyang in Henan, that the grottoes
were in the main completed. Over 10000 master artisans and
the stonemasons, plus their assistants, were pressed into
service at the peak of the construction - a truly gargantuan
undertaking.
A 17-Metre Sitting Buddha
Today, more than 1500 years after their
execution, the Yungang Grottoes still boast over 1100 shrines
and niches of widely varying sizes and no less than 50000
sculptures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The larger-sized
caves, 53 all told, are scattered over the southern foot
of Wuzhou Hill, sprawling for over a kilmetre from east
to west. Walls peeling with the passage of time add an archaic
note to these caves, while the sculptures peep out at the
world through door or window-like openings.
The Grottoes are divided into three zones, east, west and
central, and numbered from east to west. Grotto No. 3 is
the biggest in the east zone. The sculptures inside are
not from the Northern Wei period, but were probably executed
during the Sui(581-618) or Tang(618-907) dynasties.
Grottos Nos. 5-20 in the central zone are
acknowledged to be the cream of the whole complex. I first
entered Grotto No. 5. As it is screened by an impressive
four-storeyed wooden facade added in the Qing Dynasty, the
huge Buddha it contained came into view only after I had
stepped inside. Seventeen meters high, it is the biggest
in the Yungang Grottoes. Seated in the lotus position, the
sculptures takes up almost the entire floor space of the
cave, so it is difficult for the visitor to get a good overall
view. Its lap is so vast that as many as 120 people can
stand there and each of its feet can comfortably hold 12
people!
Next comes Grotto No. 6. There are no huge
sculptures here, but carvings of Buddhas, Nodhisattvas,
arhats and flying apsaras cover the walls. In the middle
of the cave there is a stupa-like pillar reaching to the
ceiling. All of the stupa and the four walls are bas-reliefs
depicting the life of Sakyamuni, from the day of his birth
up to the time of his achieving Buddha-hood. The images
are vivid and varied. Each side of the entrance to Grotto
No. 8 is carved with a grotesque-looking heavenly deity,
each with several heads and arms, one riding a peafowl and
the other an ox.
In Grottos Nos. 9 and 10 there are many
fine sculptures, but the moment I stepped into Grotto No.
13 another huge Buddha, 13 meters high, loomed over me.
Here there is a fascinating sight: between the right arm
and leg of the Buddha stands a tiny figure appearing to
be of extraordinary strength, his right hand supporting
one of the Buddha's huge hands, apparently without too much
trouble.
Monolithic Yungang Art
Grottos Nos. 16-20 are the earliest of the
Yungang Grottos and of the utmost grandeur. They are otherwise
known as the "Five Caves of Tan Yao" which were
built to suggest the limitless power of the Northern Wei
Dynasty. Each of the five caves contains in its centre a
massive sculpture of Tathagaya("he who has come",
one of the epithets of the Buddha), symbolising the five
Northern Wei rulers.
These are truly on a gigantic scale: the
body of the main statue in Grotto No. 19, for instance,
has a disproportionately elongated body by comparison with
its head, and its shoulders are broad and thickset. The
Bodhisattva by the side of this huge Buddha is comparatively
small, providing the main statue with extra contrast. To
accentuate the imposing size of the Buddha still more, the
artisans of the past who designed the layout saw to it that
the distance between the statue and the front of the cave
is rather short and that the roof of the cave narrows towards
the top so that devotees prostrating themselves before the
statue have to crane their necks to see it properly.
Grotto No. 20 may be described as the prototype
of Yungang art. The wooden eaves over the entrance to this
cave temple were burnt away during some battle of the past
and its front wall has collapsed as a result of erosion
so that the statues inside are now exposed. The full-bodied,
massive Tathagata statue in the middle, 13.7 metres high,
sits cross-legged. This has been executed in a simplistic
way; the lines delineating the folds and pleats in the clothes
are decisive and clear-cut. The deity has an innocent-looking
face, calm, with a slight smile as if looking down at the
world magnanimously.
A Cosmpolitan Buddhist
World
These sculptures in the "Five
Caves of Tan Yao" reflect the influence of the sculptural
art of Gandhara, with high-bridged noses, deepset eyes,
and hair worn in a coil. In fact, some of the Buddhist statues
at Yungang are in body-hugging Indian attire, others wear
the dress of the Xianbeis while those originating at a later
period appear in the dress of the Southern Dynasties or
in the loose robes with sleeves worn by the intellectuals
of the following Sui and Tang dynasties. Together they give
the impression of a multinational Buddhist family. The art
of the Yungang Grottos may in fact be looked upon as a manifestation
of a process of blending of cultures and religions, a process
of giving a Chinese touch to Buddhist art which, at that
time, was essentially Indian.
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