Lingquan Temple Grottoes, Buddhist grottoes site in Anyang County, China.
Lingquan Temple Grottoes are carved into two hills flanking the temple site: Lanfengshan to the east holds 86 cliff carvings, Baoshan to the west 120 (or 121), and nearby Ma'anshan 4. Baoshan's carvings are mostly small niches—80 tower-shaped, 21 Buddha niches, 5 house-shaped, 12 stele-shaped and 2 cave-shaped—while the large Dazhusheng Cave, 2.6 m high, 3.4 m wide and 3.4 m deep, has a square plan and a domed ceiling with a lotus relief.
The temple was founded in 546, the fourth year of Eastern Wei's Wuding era, as Baoshan Temple, and renamed Lingquan Temple during the Sui Kaihuang era. The cliff carvings at Baoshan and Lanfengshan were cut from the Sui through the Northern Song, with 24 dated Tang niches and 6 Sui niches among them. The Great Zhuzhu Cave was opened in 589, the ninth year of Kaihuang, and its inscription records the date, the number of workers and the images inside. All standing buildings are modern reconstructions.
The name Lingquan, "Spirit Spring", replaced Baoshan Temple during the Sui Kaihuang era. The cliff carvings are divided by gender: the Lanfengshan tombs, reached by forest burial in which bones were gathered and enshrined once flesh had gone, all commemorate women, while Baoshan holds male burials. Baoshan's niches carry inscriptions naming types such as huisen pagodas and shadow pagodas.
The complex is best explored in daylight since the carved details are most visible in natural light. Comfortable shoes are recommended as visiting involves walking over uneven terrain and between caves.
The Great Abiding Cave, cut in 589, has guardian kings Naluoyan and Jiapiluo outside its gate, each about 1.8 m tall, holding swords and standing on oxen and sheep. An inscription above Naluoyan records the digging date, the number of workers and the cave's images. Inside, three wall niches hold Vairocana, Amitabha and Maitreya, with 24 patriarchs on the east wall.
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