The Grottos of Zhongshan Mountain are at the southern foot of Zhongshan Mountain, some 15 kilometers west of Zichang County, Shaanxi Province.
Built in 1067 during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the grottos are distributed along the Wanfo Cliff in five grottos that are still intact.
The biggest grotto is the Wanfo Grotto 20 meters wide, 14 meters deep and seven meters tall. At the center of the grotto is a Buddhist altar -- 11.5 meters long from east to west, five meters wide from north to south and 2.5 meters high -- with eight square stone pillars that reach the roof. The grotto vault was engraved with lotus lines. Divided into three groups are 16 Buddha statues encircling the altar. At two to three meters in height, all of the statues are the disciples and Bodhisattvas of Sakyamuni. The grotto walls and eight pillars were carved with more than 10,000 Buddha statues in various poses. Carved using smooth lines, the Buddha statues are representations of the sculptural art of the Northern Song Dynasty.
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