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Luoyang, Henan Province -- Page 4 Lotus Flower Cave Beyond is the Lotus Flower Cave, with a large standing Buddha, now faceless. The ceiling should be noticed; sinuous figures drift around a central lotus.Juxiansi Cave The next group of statues --- "cave" is almost a misnomer since the roof has gone --- is by far the largest at Longmen. This Juxiansi Cave, cut between 672 and 675, represents a high point of Tang Dynasty Buddhist sculpture, and its statues are among the most expressive and best preserved at Longmen. The powerful Buddha, 56 feet high, is believed to be Vairocana, the supreme, omnipresent divinity. Put your arms around the leg of the left-hand guardian: if your fingers meet, it is considered lucky. Medical Prescription Cave South of the Juxiansi is the tiny Medical Prescription Cave, whose entrance is filled with stelae documenting 6th-century cures for common ailments. Guyang Cave Adjacent is the much larger Guyang Cave, sculpted between 495 and 575. Its high ceiling, narrow width and the profusion of fine sculpture, including a central Buddha elongated like the cave, give this dimly lit grotto the atmosphere of a chapel. But the carved heads in the niches, praised by guidebooks published 20 years ago have disappeared. A short walk farther on is the last major cave, the Shikusi, where friezes depicting religious procession have been carved below the side niches. If you have time, you can also visit the three large Tang Dynasty grottoes on the other side of the river. |