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Today, there are still 2,100 caves and niches, 100,000 Buddhist images, more than 3,600 inscribed tablets and 43 Buddhist pagodas in existence. Among the images, the largest stands 17.14 m high while the smallest is only 2 cm.
The White Horse Temple is of historic importance to Buddhism. Constructed almost two millennia ago in 68 AD, the shrine is the location from where Buddhism was introduced in China. Two eminent monks from India--Kasyapamatanga and Dharmaranya--are said to have been originally seated there.
There are several caves and grottoes such as the Qianxi Temple, Binyang Cave, Ten Thousand Buddhists' Cave, Lotus Cave and Fengxian Temple.
The Fengxian shrine is the most famous. Located on the slope of a hill on the western bank of the Yi river, with a horizontal depth of 38.7 m and a south-to-north width of 33.5 m, the temple is the largest one in the Longmen Grottoes. Seated in the "Xumi" position, the chief statue Lushena Buddha towers to 17.14 m; the head is 4 m high and each ear 1.9 m long. The lively and vivid statue wears a cheerful look and a shallow smile.
As one of the three great Buddhist treasures, the statues in the Grottoes are exquisitely carved, all presenting a dignified manner and delicate look. These are an embodiment of an extraordinary sculptural style.
With breadth of spirit, profound implication and beautiful workmanship, the Longmen Grottoes constitute a bright pearl in the treasure house of world sculpture.
The White Horse Temple here was the first Buddhist shrine in China. A jade statue of Sakyamuni--the Buddha--in the Hall of the Jade Buddha stands 5 m high and weighs 8 tonnes. A statue of a heavenly general adorns the Mahavira Hall.
Legend has it that in 64 AD, Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty (206 BC--220 AD) dreamt of a golden man 12 ft high and the light from the man's head illuminated the hall where he stood. In the morning, the Emperor told his officials what he had seen and one of them, Fu Yi, said the Emperor had dreamt of the Buddha, a god of the west.
The Emperor sent Cai Yin, Qin Jing and others to Tianzhu (now India) for Buddhist scriptures. When Cai, Qin and their group arrived in what is now Afghanistan, they met Kasyapamatanga and Dharmaranya who were preaching there. In 67 AD, they loaded Sanskrit scriptures and a Sakyamuni portrait on white felt onto a white horse and returned here with the monks who were lodged at the Honglu Temple.
Abbot Le said traditionally monks are not buried within a shrine. ''Recognising their contribution to Buddhism, an exception was made and that is why we find tombs of the two first Buddhist monks in the temple premises.''
The history of Buddhism in China is a complex story of importation, assimilation and transformation of a foreign religion. Buddhism reached China from India by the first century but did not flourish until the Six Dynasties Period (220 BC -- 89 AD) when political and economic turmoil encouraged its full acceptance. Under these conditions, the religion's emphasis on personal salvation and renunciation of worldly ties, coupled with monk-sponsored welfare projects, attracted devotees from several social strata.
Buddhism sometimes prospered under imperial patronage; however, its foreign origin led other rulers to sponsor major persecution. The faith survived these periodic challenges and continues to flourish today. According to Chinese historians, Mahayana Buddhism--the most prominent branch in China--played a key role in shaping Chinese civilisation and the latter also had a profound impact on the manner in which Buddhism was transformed in China. Buddhism's influence grew to such an extent that vast amounts of financial and human resources were expended on creation and establishment of impressive works of art and elaborate shrines. (By Arun K Bhandari)
