Visit to Buddhist grottoes in NW China

The large Buddha can be seen in many niches of the Maijishan Grottoes. [Photo/gscn.com.cn]

The Maijishan Grottoes, which are caved into the side of Maji Mountain near the city of Tianshui, Gansu province, contain more than 7,000 clay sculptures and around 1,000 square meters of murals and have a large Buddha 15.8 meters tall.

Close-up of sculptures carved into the side of the mountain. [Photo/gscn.com.cn]

Maijishan Grottoes joined the World Heritage List in 2014. These Grottoes are one set of China's four most prominent grottoes, two of which are in Gansu, the other being Dunhuang near the city of the same name.

Maijishan Grottoes in the side of Maji Mountain near Tianshui, Gansu province. [Photo/gscn.com.cn]

They date back to the Later Qin era (384-417 AD) when there were Buddhist grottoes in cities along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that stretched to northwestern China and Central and West Asia.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw