A long-range photo of the Azheluogalan and the grottoes, a total of 30 Buddhist grottoes originated from India. Faxian and Xuanzang both record Buddhist grottoes in India. Most of the Indian grottoes were built in the Mauryan Dynasty and the Gupta Dynasty. The Azheluogalan and gr

Far-view photos of Azheluogalan and the grottoes, a total of 30 caves

Buddhist caves originated from India, Faxian and Xuanzang both record Buddhist caves in India. Most of the Indian caves were built in Mauryan dynasty and Gupta dynasty . The Azheluogalan and grottoes recorded by Xuanzang are the oldest and most famous Buddhist grottoes in India.

General plan of Azheluogalan and grotto temple group, in the Wagra Valley

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Xuanzang described Azheluogalan and grottoes in the eleventh Mahararivo country of Volume 11 of the Great Tang Western Regions. There are mountains in the east of the country, with ridges and dangerous peaks. There is a Buddhist temple on the mountain, which is seen in a valley. The houses are tall and wide. The pillows are pressed against the chiseled cliffs. The towers are lined with towers and towers. They are leaning against the rocks and facing the deep valleys. They are built by the Arhat.

The main hall of the Buddha Temple is more than 100 feet high, and there are stone Buddha statues inside, which are more than 70 feet high, with seven-layer stone covers on them, which are suspended out of thin air and do not connect, and each cover is more than three feet apart. The hall is surrounded by stone walls carved by , which depict all kinds of good deeds done by Tathagata when he was practicing Bodhisattva practice and reaching the causal realm, achieving the auspiciousness and happiness of the holy fruit, and entering the realm of transcending life and death, all of which are engraved and painted on it in detail. There is a stone statue outside the Buddhist temple, north and south, left and right.

Azheluo Cave Sculpture

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Azheluo Cave Temple described by Xuanzang is now called Ajanta Cave Temple. It is located on the cliff of Vandaya Mountain in the northern part of Maharashtra, India, 106 kilometers west of Aurangabat. It was built in the 2nd to 1st century BC Ashoka period, and has a history of more than 2,000 years. The Wakata dynasty and the Gupta dynasty have been expanded and modified on a large scale, adding many more colorful caves, which lasted for 700 years.

Buddhist grottoes are surrounded by crescent-shaped steep cliffs, staggered in height and stretching for more than 550 meters. The cave was dug by ancient Indian Buddhists as Buddhist temples and monks. There are 30 caves, of which 5 (caves 9, 10, 19, 26, and 29) are worship caves with towers, and the rest are caves for monks to live in. There are stone Buddha statues, caisson patterns and murals in the grottoes, especially murals. As Xuanzang said, they are mainly stories of Buddha's birth and scenes of ancient Indian life.

Part of the Azheluo Grottoes, exquisite carvings

Part of the Azheluo Grottoes Temple

Grottoes murals, with beautiful colors and exquisite

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With the decline of Indian Buddhism, monks left one after another. The grottoes gradually became abandoned after the 8th century, and the surroundings were preserved due to sparse population.

The cave was rediscovered in 1819. The British commander of the garrison John Smith was attacked by a tiger while hunting and fled into the mountains. When he came to the Wagra Valley to rest, he found a strange shape of the rock wall. He approached and found a horseshoe-shaped window with exquisite carvings of rocks. He discovered the cave group, which contained dense bat nests. Smith engraved his name and date of discovery in the cave.

Ajanta Cave Temple was selected into the World Cultural Heritage List in 1983.

Grotto temple sculptures are well preserved

Grotto temple murals are all Buddhist stories and ancient Indian life

Grotto temple Buddhist murals describe Buddhist stories

(Pictures are from the Internet, deleted infringement)