The Longmen Grottoes are cave temples carved into limestone cliffs along the Yi River, in Luolong District, Luoyang, Henan, China. Carving began under the Northern Wei dynasty in 493 and ran in phases to 1127. The Tang dynasty period, from 626 to the mid-8th century, was the peak. The article credits emperors such as Xiaowen and Xuanwu with major caves and names no architect.
Counts vary in the article. One passage lists 2,345 caves and another about 1,400. It says there are up to 100,000 statues, from 1 inch (25 millimeters) to 57 feet (17 meters) tall, and nearly 2,500 stelae. The Vairocana Buddha at Fengxian Temple is 56 feet (17.14 meters) high, carved by 676.
Northern Wei figures are slim, while Tang work is called vigorous, elegant and realistic. UNESCO inscribed the grottoes on the World Heritage List in 2000. Entry requires a ticket (an assumption, as the article does not say).
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