The Luoyang Longmen Caves (龙门石窟, ‘Dragon’s Gate Grottoes’) are some of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, they are located 12 kilometres south of present-day Luoyang in Henan province, China. The earliest history of the creation of Longmen Grottoes is traced to the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei dynasty when he shifted his capital to Luoyang from Datong. The grottoes were excavated and carved with Buddhist subjects over the period from 493 AD to 1127 AD, in four distinct phases.

Below is a selection of photos taken during a visit to the Luoyang Longmen Caves on June 3, 2010. Click on a small photo for a larger view, then select the next one with the cursor keys or the arrows on either side of the photo.