The magnificent Middle Binyang Cave

Updated: 2015-11-18

The artistic value of Middle Binyang Cave in Longmen Grottoes is significant both in China’s Buddhism culture and art development. It was a cave built in honor of the Emperor Xiaowen during Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-534) by his son Xuanwu Emperor. The cave was started in the year of 500 AD.

The main Buddha in Middle Binyang Cave [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]

The cave is one of those most typical Han-style caves after Emperor Xiaowen moved his capital to Luoyang, thus occupying an important position in the history of Chinese Buddhist art. It’s the earliest large scale cave that has been recorded in official history in China. The grand project of carving the cave had lasted for 24 years.

On the main wall, there sits a Buddha, with two disciples and two bodhisattvas standing on each side. The Buddha is Sakyamuni who wears a loose kasaya with wide girdles. The kasaya, with four layers of cloth, covers the seat on which the Buddha sits. With narrow shoulders, a thin face, cheering eyes and eyebrows and a faint smile, the Buddha has a composed carriage and looks kind and amiable. In the ship-like nimbuses are carved veins of fire and images of donors. Attending Sakyamuni on each side are his disciples Kanakabharadvaja and Ananda and Bodhisattvas Manjusri and Samantabhadra. The Bodhisattvas wear wide and loose scarves which cross each other to form loops at the belly--a new fashion in vogue during the Northern Wei period.

At the entrance of the niche under the pointed arch, is a relief with veins of fire and above the entrance, we can see two dragons interwound with each other. Outside the entrance, a house-like niche is carved on each side with warriors within it.

The lintel of the Middle Binyang Cave [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]

The portal of the cave is as high as 7 meters, and both sides of the doorway are carved with three layers of reliefs. The major statues in the cave are “Buddhas of Three Eras”--namely, the Buddha of the Past, the Buddha of the Present and the Buddha of the Future.

Reliefs on the two sides of the cave portal [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]