Nanshiyao Temple

Pingliang Top 8 in Important Religious Institution

Nanshiku Temple is located on the north bank of the Jinghe River 7.5 kilometers east of Jingchuan County, Pingliang City. In the third year of Yongping of the Northern Wei Dynasty (510), Jingzhou Governor Xi Kangsheng began to dig. And Qingyang North Grottoes Temple, known as "Longdong Grottoes Double Pearl". There are 5 existing caves, all of which are from north to south. The first cave is the most valuable. It is rectangular, 11 meters high, 18 meters wide, and 13 meters deep. Square cave door, open a square window on the top of the front wall door, with a bucket-shaped roof. The seven-body standing Buddha is carved on the front wall and the bases of the left and right walls in the cave, all 7 meters high, with a headband, high nose and big ears, a plump face, long clothes hanging down on the knees, and a solemn and peaceful look. On both sides of each Buddha, there are 2 Bodhisattvas, a total of 14, about 3.5 meters high, graceful and graceful, each side of the front wall door is carved with a Maitreya Bodhisattva, 5 meters high. There are embossed Buddha stories on the east, north, and west of the cave top, including the birth under a tree, Ashituo's occupancy, singing and dancing in the palace, renunciation over the city and thinking under the tree. This cave and Beishiku Temple were the earliest to appear in the Seven-Buddha Caves, which mainly represented the Seven Buddhas. Cave 4 is a medium-sized square cave. The three masters of Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and Guanyin Bodhisattva are in the center. There are sixteen arhats, eight bodhisattvas, and six lords on both sides, all of which are stone-shaped clay sculptures, respectively, from the Tang Dynasty and the late period. Qing style. There are also several small niches in the Tang Dynasty, all of which are weathered, and the statues are indistinct. The original "Stele of Nanshiku Temple" (existing county cultural center) in the cave has more than 650 characters of inscription, which records in detail the time and creator of the two caves in the north and south. This stele is not only the original basis for researching the creation time of the grottoes, but also the physical materials for studying local chronicles and official officials. The list of 58 officials inscribed on the stele Yin can correct the mistakes of the "Book of Wei". In addition, his calligraphy art is also praised by later generations, and is included in many Jinshi books. There are convenience stores nearby, with convenient water, food, and transportation (4 bus direct access).

Pingliang South Cave Temple is located in Jiangjia Village on the north bank of the Dongjing River in Jingchuan County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province, 9 kilometers away from the county seat. It was built in the third year of Yongping in the Northern Wei Dynasty (510 years). Currently only the first cave is open to the public, and it is also the most valuable cave. There are 7 standing Buddhas and 14 Bodhisattvas carved on the foundation of the cave. Bodhisattvas stand on either side of the standing Buddha.

Nanshiku Temple, located on the north bank of Jinghe River 7.5 kilometers east of Jingchuan County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province, was built in the third year of Yongping in the Northern Wei Dynasty (510 AD) and is a national key cultural relics protection unit. The South Grotto Temple, which was built by Jingzhou Governor Xi Kang, who was born in Yongping three years of the Northern Wei Dynasty, together with the North Grotto Temple in Qingyang, is known as the "Longdong Grottoes Double Pearls." South Cave Temple, the existing five caves, all sit from the north to the south, the No. 1 Dongda Cave and the No. 2 West Small Cave are relatively intact. Dongda Cave is the main cave of Nanshiku Temple. There are seven Buddha statues and thirteen Bodhisattvas in different shapes, lifelike, all in Northern Wei style. The South Cave Temple stele preserved in the cave bears the inscription "Three Years of Yongping in the Great Wei Dynasty", which was built one year later than the North Cave Temple.

The Jingchuannan Grotto Temple was excavated in the third year of Yongping in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It echoes the north and south of Qingyang North Grotto Temple, and it is called "The Double Pearl of Longshang Grottoes". The 7-meter-high 7 Buddha statues are integrated and coordinated in proportion, which can be described as an ingenious workmanship. There are Buddhist stories carved on the top of the cave. Unfortunately, after thousands of years of wind and rain, a large area of reliefs and paintings have fallen off. The cultural relics manager told us that the grottoes are changing every day. The red sandstone soil layer is very fragile, and it will cause damage when touched lightly, and a sense of powerlessness that is missing a glance spreads in the heart instantly.

The Southern Grottoes and Xiwangmu Grottoes excavated during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The sandstone on the edge of the Jinghe River is suitable for carving large Buddha statues. Its shape and specifications are very similar to the Yungang Grottoes of Datong. In fact, it was also a Northern Wei general Xi Kangsheng who presided over the construction. In 509 AD, Emperor Xuanwu ordered Xi Kangsheng to lead soldiers to assess the Jingzhou rebellion. After that, Xi Kangsheng stayed in Jingzhou for nearly three years as the governor. In this short period of time, Xi Kang used all the human and financial resources of Jingzhou, and after years of hard work by hundreds of craftsmen, he finally created two cave temples in the north and the south.