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The Longmen Grottoes are caves that hold ancient Buddhist art. They were all carved during the Northern Wei period, more than 1500 years ago, when the capital of China was relocated to Luoyang near the end of the 5^th century. The construction for the Grottoes began in 493 AD during Emperor Xiaowen's reign and continued through 6 dynasties. The Buddhists carved these rock temples in order to dedicate them to the Buddha. In total, there are 1,352 caves, 785 niches, more than 97,000 statues and 3,680 inscribed stone tablets. Out of all of these sculptures, 1/3 comes from the Northern Wei Dynasty and the remainder comes from the Tang Dynasty. The carvings located here represent the pinnacle of grotto artwork in China.

The best Buddhist sculpture in China is said to be located here and is the statue of Vairocana Buddha. The stone statues located in Fengxian Cave best represent the typical cave sculptures of the Tang Dynasty. The grottoes have been placed on the List of World Cultural Heritage sites by the 24^th UN Heritage Commission on November 30, 2000.

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The Longmen Grottoes