Located in Dengshan Village, Zhonglu Township, 50 kilometers south of Wuwei City, Gansu Province, it is one of the early grottoes in China. Founded in Beiliang of Sixteen Countries, it has been excavated for generations, with a grand scale and magnificent architecture. Some scholars call it the originator of China Grottoes. There are hundreds of square meters of murals preserved in the cave, including three caves, 17 niches, 100 statues of Buddha, and Sino-Tibetan scriptures written in Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties. Among them, the main building, the Buddha cave, sits like a statue, with vivid expression, different images and exquisite shaping.

"Desert grey, ladder mountain is higher than you. There are roads in the sky and hidden fog under it. Jade has been blocked for thousands of years, and six springs have emerged into streams. I have been dreaming for thousands of years, and I can see the green trees in Qingchuan. " -Qing Dynasty Zhang If you are a person who loves traveling, you must go to Tiantai Mountain Grottoes. If you don't like traveling, you must know about Tiantai Mountain Grottoes, because Tiantai Mountain Grottoes is the originator of China Grottoes, and the height of giant Buddha is the first of the Buddha statues in China Grottoes; It is also the hometown of China ginseng fruit, and Wanshou Mountain where The Journey to the West ginseng fruit grows is actually Tiantai Mountain in Wuwei. The ginseng fruit here has become the "golden fruit" for more than 65,438+10,000 households and more than 47,000 farmers to get rid of poverty and become rich. On the first day of the first month, 4,000 local people gathered here to bless the New Year by burning incense, worshipping Buddha and setting off firecrackers.

Tiantishan Grottoes, also known as the Big Buddha Temple, are located in Dengshan Village, Zhonglu Township, about 40 kilometers south of Wuwei. Because the mountain road is rugged, the peaks are overlapping and shaped like a ladder, so it is named. There is snow at the top of the ladder, which remains unchanged all year round; The mountain springs are tinkling, covered with vegetation and beautiful scenery. "Ladder Snow" is one of the eight scenic spots in Liangzhou.

Tiantishan Grottoes is one of the earliest excavated grottoes in China, and also the representative of early grottoes art in China. The source of Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes occupies an important position in the history of Buddhism in China. It has a history of 1580 years.

At present, there are only three floors left in the Tiantishan Grottoes, with a total of 17 caves. One of the big caves is 30m high,19m wide and 6m deep. There is a statue of 1 Sakyamuni in the cave, which is 28m high and10m wide. It stands facing the water, with its right arm stretched forward, pointing forward and sitting up straight. There are six statues of Manjusri, Pu Xian, Guangmu, Duowen Tianwang, Ye Jia and Ananda on both sides of Sakyamuni, which are vivid and dignified. Large murals are painted on the north and south walls of the cave. The upper part of the south wall is moire dragon; In the middle is an elephant sika deer. There are smoking scrolls on the elephant's back, and tigers, trees and flowers are below. The upper part of the north wall is painted with green dragons and double beards, and the middle part is painted with white horses, ink tigers and bodhi trees, and the horses are rolling and flashing; The lower part is painted with peony flowers. The whole mural has fresh brushstrokes, bright colors and vivid images.

When we came, there was thick ice on the Yellow River, which was as white as a mirror in the sun. In summer, taking a boat trip from the reservoir, the majestic posture of Tiantai Mountain is reflected in the clear blue waves. Climbing up the ladder mountain along the plank road, you can see the dark blue Qilian Mountain, which is covered with mountains. The white snow on the top of the mountain is like a cloud, which makes the blue mountain look colder. The lake reflects the blue sky, white clouds and green hills, like a moist jasper, adding a delicate atmosphere to this originally desolate world.

On June 25th, 200 1 year, as a cultural relic from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, the Tiantishan Grottoes were approved by the State Council to be included in the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Supplement:

Tiantishan Grottoes, also known as Liangzhou Grottoes, are located between the cliffs on the south slope of Dapo Mountain in Dengshan Village, Zhonglu Township, about 50 kilometers south of the city. There are temples under the cave, also known as the Big Buddha Temple and the Guangshan Temple. Qianlong's "Wuwei County Records": "The Great Buddha Temple, 100 miles southeast of the city, has a stone Buddha statue, nine feet high and nine floors, also known as Guangshan Temple." This is recorded in Buddhist scriptures such as Fayuan Zhu Lin. The grotto statues are unique, or stone carvings or clay sculptures, which are grand in scale and exquisite and changeable, comparable to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes; The Buddha is smiling, 30 meters high, and his right hand points to Moqiu Mountain. Elegant, solemn, smoking, waving to do Kun. According to relevant historical records, this grotto was excavated by Qu Mengxun, the royal residence of Beiliang, from 4 12 to 439. Tiantishan Grottoes were excavated on the basis of natural caves, with a history of 1580 years. In October (April12), in the eighth year of Yuan Xi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Meng Xun moved the capital from Zhangye to the ancient Tibet, called the King of Hexi, set up official offices, repaired palaces and built city gates. At the same time, Yao Tan, a monk from Liangzhou, and skillful craftsmen were called to clear the way, cut down trees and destroy forests, chisel the ladder grottoes, and build a giant Buddha statue. Soon after, his mother's car died of illness, so he carved a 5-meter-high stone statue for his mother in the cave to show his remorse. Due to wars and frequent natural disasters (mainly earthquakes), the grottoes have been seriously damaged, especially the earthquake of 1927, which has caused devastating damage to Tiantai Mountain grottoes. Nine-story buildings and most caves were destroyed in an instant, and many statues were lost. Eight caves survived intact, and the statue of the giant Buddha was safe and sound. In the grottoes, there are handwritten scriptures written by Han and Tibetan in the Northern Wei, Sui and Tang Dynasties, silk paintings of bodhisattvas in the early Tang Dynasty, statues, murals and scriptures in the Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia (Song), Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Although the Tiantai Mountain Grottoes are steep, they are rich in reserves. The prosperity of Buddhism is a major feature of Liangzhou culture development. The excavation of this cave attracted the attention of the Buddhist community, which led to the arrival of eminent monks in the western regions. They gave lectures in Liangzhou and translated Buddhist scriptures, making Tiantai Mountain Grottoes more famous.

Tiantai Mountain Grottoes are not only one of the earliest excavated grottoes in China, but also the representative of early grottoes art in China. In the process of digging Tiantai Mountain Grottoes, a group of skilled craftsmen, sculptors and painters were trained. After Yao Tan and others completed the Tiantai Mountain Grottoes, with the change of political situation and the eastward movement of the Buddhist center, Pingcheng (now Datong, Shanxi Province) in the east began a new life of digging, becoming an important technical force in Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes, while Yao Tan became a Buddhist leader in the Northern Wei Dynasty. According to historical records, in 439, the Northern Wei Dynasty destroyed Beiliang and moved 30,000 officials from ancient Tibet to Pingcheng, including more than 3,000 monks. This is a very large number, which not only reflects the large population of Liangzhou, but also shows the prosperity of Buddhism. These 3000 monks were actually the creators of Liangzhou model, which promoted the growing Buddhist worship in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Northern Wei Dynasty destroyed the Northern Liang Dynasty, which ended the prosperity of Hexi region after the separatist regime of 140 years. Liangzhou Buddhism and its art suffered heavy losses. In addition to moving out of the city, some monks in Liangzhou moved westward to Dunhuang and other places, which also promoted the prosperity of Dunhuang Buddhism, made Dunhuang the center of Hexi Buddhism after Liangzhou, and promoted the rapid development of Dunhuang grottoes culture, the second peak of Hexi grottoes culture development. The artistic style of the Tang Buddha in Dunhuang Grottoes (Cave 130) is similar to that of Tiantai Mountain, which shows that the excavation of Tiantai Mountain Grottoes and its artistic and architectural styles have directly influenced Dunhuang and Hexi Grottoes.

Many monks and craftsmen moved to Pingcheng. According to Shi Lao Zhi, Shi Zuji and Gao Zuji, after arriving in Pingcheng, Shi Xian, a monk from Liangzhou, was appointed as an official in charge of religious affairs, and in 452 AD, he suggested and personally presided over the creation of imperial Buddhist stone statues. In 460 AD, Shixian died and Yao Tan, a monk from Liangzhou, succeeded him. He diverted to Samoa, continued to preside over the carving work, and dug Yungang Grottoes in the suburbs of Pingcheng. It took him only a few short years (460 ~ 465) to complete the construction of the representative work of Yungang Grottoes, the fifth cave of Tan Yao, and the giant Buddha in the fifth cave is the most magnificent statue and masterpiece in Yungang Grottoes. After excavation, Yungang Grottoes became one of the largest grottoes in China, with rich sculptures and the highest grottoes in China. According to the Records of Shilao, during the years of TaBaRui and Pingnian, Wei, a monk from Liangzhou, successively dug five caves, namely 16 to 20 caves. Later, it was built one after another. Over the past 60 years, countless sculptors have carved Buddha statues and flying in 53 caves. /kloc-more than 0/0000. During this period, the main project was completed before the capital moved to Luoyang in the 18th year of Taihe (494). These magnificent and exquisite sculptures are the crystallization of the sculptor's wisdom and artistic talent, and Liangzhou monks and their craftsmen have played an extremely important role. It can be seen that as far as Buddhist culture and cave temple art are concerned, the Northern Liang Dynasty and the Northern Wei Dynasty are related, that is, the Northern Liang Dynasty is the "source" and the Northern Wei Dynasty is the "flow". According to Shu Wei's Historical Records, the Longmen Grottoes, which are famous at home and abroad, were dug after Yungang Grottoes. In the eighteenth year of Taihe, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang. Since then, after the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi and Ming and Qing Dynasties, a large-scale Longmen Grottoes Group has been built, and the Gongxian Grottoes and several nearby grottoes have also been excavated. The artistic style of Longmen Grottoes embodies the characteristics of Tiantai Mountain Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes, and has strong Southern Dynasties culture, Central Plains traditional culture and strong northern cultural factors. Therefore, Tiantai Mountain Grottoes are well-deserved to be called the originator of grottoes.

What needs to be pointed out here is that people often determine the position of grotto art in Buddhism and art history from the time. Of course there is some truth in this, but it is more important to see its influence in the grottoes. If we only look at the age, many caves in Xinjiang are earlier than Dunhuang Grottoes and Zhongyuan Grottoes, but they have no direct or little influence on Zhongyuan Grottoes. According to historical records, the Mogao Grottoes was built in the second year of Jianyuan in the former Qin Dynasty, that is, the tenth year of Liang Qian's Shengping (366). The inscription of Bingling Temple GrottoesNo. 169 dates back to 420 AD, and Tiantai Mountain Grottoes were founded in April12 ~ 439. Dating back to Mogao Grottoes, Tiantai Mountain Grottoes are similar to Bingling Temple Grottoes. But these two grottoes, especially the Mogao Grottoes, have a great influence now. When it comes to grottoes, they must be called Mogao Grottoes, Yungang and Longmen. However, the Mogao Grottoes in the Northern Wei Dynasty were not famous and had no direct influence on Yungang and Longmen. Instead, Liangzhou monks and their Tiantai Mountain grottoes became famous, which had a certain influence on the development of Mogao Grottoes and Dunhuang Buddhism. At present, experts agree that although the Mogao Grottoes are the earliest grottoes in China, the time for its formal excavation and temple construction should be counted from 420 years when the north is cool and the west is cool. The peak period of excavation in the history of Mogao Grottoes was in the period of filial piety in the Northern Wei Dynasty (5 16 ~ 528). At this time, with the arrival of a group of officials, monks and craftsmen in Luoyang, the Han style in the Central Plains became popular here. This is 100 years after the excavation of Tiantai Mountain Grottoes. From the above simple description, we can clearly see that the influence process of China Grottoes should be: Tiantishan Grottoes-Yungang Grottoes-Longmen Grottoes-Dunhuang Grottoes. Here, we don't mean to belittle the Mogao Grottoes and improve the ladder mountain, but to explore a development vein of China Grottoes from the relationship of influence and origin. Facts show that it is the Tizishan Grottoes that really affect the style of the Central Plains Grottoes.