Five Northern Wei Dynasty ancient Buddhas by the Yellow River, visiting the soon-to-be-submerged mysterious grottoes

Gansu Province's Jingtai County is home to the Wufu Yansi Temple, located by the Yellow River in Wufu Township. The temple contains grottoes that were established during the Northern Wei Dynasty. Inside the grottoes, there are five large Buddha statues, with a thousand smaller Buddhas on either side, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Temple. The Shakyamuni Buddha inside the grotto was restored during the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi era. The other three Buddhas have different postures and serene expressions, with thin waists and round faces, prominent square jaws, and are considered late Song Dynasty works. At the two corners behind the grotto, there are two clay Buddha statues seated on waist-tied lotus bases, larger in size than the former, with golden, plump faces and dignified postures. They are dressed in 'Sengqie Zhi' undergarments with skirts and outer cassocks. The characteristics of these sculptures are remnants of the Late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. In front of the grotto is a three-story brick and wood structure that adjoins the cliff face of the grottoes, cleverly integrated with the grottoes to form the antechamber of the grottoes. A wooden ladder on the south side of the first floor leads to the second floor. The second floor has a corridor on the north, east, and south sides, with railings on the edges and a Buddha pavilion in the center, which leads to the inside of the grotto. The top of the second floor is an octagonal pavilion with a wooden spire, which was restored in the 20th year of the Qing Jiaqing era (1815) and is basically intact. It is said that with the imminent construction of the Heishanxia Hydropower Project on the Yellow River, the area where Wufu Yansi Temple is located will be included in the reservoir area, and at that time, this grotto will also be submerged by water. Therefore, if you want to see it, you should go sooner rather than later. 🚗