The North Grotto Temple is located in Sigouchuan at the intersecting point of the eastern banks of the Puhe and Ruhe rivers, 25 kilometers southwest of Xifeng Town, Qingyang County, Gansu Province.
Built in 509 -- the period of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) -- and enlarged by successive dynasties, the North Grotto Temple has 295 niches, over 2,100 statues, seven steles of the Song (960-1279), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties and over 150 inscriptions from the Sui (581-618), Tang (618-907), Song, Liao (916-1125), Jin (1115-1234), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The niches are distributed on the cliff is 10 meters high and 120 meters long. Most of the grottos in east Gansu are in the North Grotto Temple, including excellent grottos from the Northern Wei and Tang dynasties.
The No. 165 Grotto, at 15.7 meters deep, 21.4 meters wide and 13.2 meters high from the ground level, was built from 508-512 in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It includes eight Buddha statues at eight meters in height; 10 Bodhisattvas three to four meters tall; two cross-legged Buddha statues 5.8 meters tall; as well as many relief sculptures and carvings with images of warriors and lions.
The grottos of the Tang Dynasty make up more than two-thirds of the total grottos in the North Grotto Temple. The grotto planes are mostly square in shape or in the form of a horseshoe, and some of them have wooden buildings out front. The Buddha statue in the No.32 grotto, together with a disciple, Bodhisattva and warrior on both sides, is carved in smooth and thin lines. It is an excellent representative of the Tang Dynasty.
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