● Northern Wei Chisel Yungang Grottoes
In order to establish a tall image of Buddha in the minds of the people and further promote the divine right of kings, the rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty recruited a large number of migrant workers and stonemasons, cut mountains and cliffs, dug many grottoes, and carved many Buddha statues, let people go there to worship.
The Yungang Grottoes, located near Pingcheng (today's Datong ), the former capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, were a place where the royal family of the Northern Wei Dynasty practiced meritorious deeds and performed Buddhist rituals. They were excavated in 453 AD. The person responsible for supervising the construction of the grottoes was the famous monk Tan Yao . Soon after Emperor Wencheng came to the throne, he invited Tan Yao to the palace, respectfully called him the Master, and asked him to be responsible for the construction project of the Yungang Grottoes. After careful planning, Tan Xia asked craftsmen to first dig a large Buddha cave that was more than seven feet wide and six feet deep, and then built a four-story high pavilion at the entrance of the cave. In the center of the pavilion, a giant Buddha statue more than five feet high was carved. The feet of the Buddha statue are four feet long, and the middle finger of the foot is seven feet long, which is larger than an ordinary person. The face and feet of the Buddha are inlaid with black stones. These black stones were inlaid according to the moles on Emperor Wencheng's body. Tan Yao built such a big Buddha to illustrate that Emperor Wencheng was the incarnation of Buddha and to deify the emperor's ruling status.
Yungang Grottoes
According to Tan Yao's design, craftsmen carved many Buddha statues of different sizes around the Buddha. Each of these Buddha statues is shorter than the other, tightly surrounding the big Buddha, and is a symbol of the ministers. In addition, there are many smaller figures symbolizing the people and slaves. The top of the cave is engraved with fairies with different postures and flying in the sky, which makes the Buddha more majestic and solemn. All this symbolizes the emperor's supreme power and the relationship between the ruler and the ruled in the world. Tan Yao dug a total of five grottoes, which are known as " Tan Yao Five Grottoes ".
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