Datong and the Caves of Yungang
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If you like traveling, you will like Shangril. A different book from trips, in which the protagonist, the author who offers you this information about Beijing, penetrates in some of the most remote regions of China. In this succession of mountains that spread to the south of Sichuan and the northwest of Yunnan, inhabited by related peoples of some form with the Tibetan culture, as the Yi, the Moso, the Naxi or the Bai. Following the track that the always damned Yi mark, it will finish bottled in the Shangril search. |
The caves of Yungang are one of the principal complexes of sculptures Buddhists of China. Placed to sixteen kilometers of the city of Datong in strict sense, there were the first ones in being constructed.
The construction of the caves began in the year 460. For 65 years, the form mountain was excavated continued up to completing 53 caves of which this complex consists. During these years, China was divided in several states, the south completely separated from a north in almost continuous war. One of the most powerful states of the north is the founded one by the nomads Tubo, who taking like the city of Datong as cardinal proclaimed the dynasty Wei of the North.
The Pipe not only they were fervent Buddhists, but they were thinking that the expansion of this religion for his domains, would be useful to them at the time of there integrate the Chinese original population and the invaders Tubo in only one beliefs system. In fact, when his empire became more powerful, and spreading on the south they established his new capital in Luoyang, initiated at once the construction of the caves of Longmen, in the proximities of the new capital.
The Yungang caves are excavated in the hillside of a mountain, all faced on the south. Although they say that during the years before to the Revolution of 1949 more than 1500 sculptures were stolen, still there remain more than 51.000 sculptures, of all the sizes, big and small, which will be sufficient to satisfy the most demanding traveler. Someone lack the arms or the head, but it is not a high proportion.
On having entered, it goes over to the central part of the complex, I joust where the most interesting caves are. Every cave is numbered. To the right of the entry there are four caves (number 1 to 4) that do not have too much interest. In the cave number 5 we meet one of the biggest statues of the complex: a buda 17 meters high. The cave number 6, called Cave of Sakyamuni, has a 15 meters big prop in whose faces there are more than 20 sculptures describing scenes of the life of Sakyamuni. The walls of this cave are covered with budas sculptures, Boddhisattvas and geniecillos. The roof of the cave number 12 is particularly interesting, for being covered by fairies' sculptures dancing. In the north part there is a group of musicians touching different Chinese instruments.
The caves of the part west, numbered from 16 to 20, are the most ancient. More sober in his composition, they reflect a fascinating innocence. The most spectacular is the cave number 18, with a big Buddha in the center, in whose garments more than 1.000 children have sculpted budas.
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