cave temple
Quick Summary
Cave temples are religious structures carved directly into rock faces. The Ellora Caves in India feature 34 rock-cut temples dating from approximately 200 BCE to 1000 CE, encompassing Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain traditions. The most striking is the Kailasa temple, a massive, multi-level structure excavated downwards from a cliff. Similarly, the Longmen caves in China consist of numerous cave temples carved into a riverbank, with construction beginning in the 5th century CE and continuing through the Tang dynasty. These sites showcase intricate sculptures and architectural ingenuity, serving as significant centers for religious practice and pilgrimage.
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IndiaArchitecture…the most-renowned monuments are many cave temples hewn from rock (of which those at Ajanta and Ellora are most noteworthy); the Sun Temple at Konarak (Konarka); the vast temple complexes at Bhubaneshwar, Khajuraho, and Kanchipuram (Conjeeveram); such Mughal masterpieces as Humayun’s tomb and the
Read More…the most-renowned monuments are many cave temples hewn from rock (of which those at Ajanta and Ellora are most noteworthy); the Sun Temple at Konarak (Konarka); the vast temple complexes at Bhubaneshwar, Khajuraho, and Kanchipuram (Conjeeveram); such Mughal masterpieces as Humayun’s tomb and the
Read More- South Asian artsThe Maurya period (c. 321–185 bc)
…Sudāmā and the Lomas Ṛṣi caves in the Nāgārjunī and Barābar hills near Gayā. The latter has an intersesting entrance showing an edged barrel-vault roof (an arch shaped like a half cylinder) in profile supported on raked pillars, the ogee arch (an arch with curving sides, concave above and convex…
Read More…Sudāmā and the Lomas Ṛṣi caves in the Nāgārjunī and Barābar hills near Gayā. The latter has an intersesting entrance showing an edged barrel-vault roof (an arch shaped like a half cylinder) in profile supported on raked pillars, the ogee arch (an arch with curving sides, concave above and convex…
Read More - South Asian artsAncient wall painting
…are those found in rock-cut cave temples at Ajantā, in western India. They belong to the 2nd or 1st century bc and are in a style reminiscent of the relief sculpture at Sānchi. Also found at Ajantā are the most substantial remains of Indian painting of about the 5th century…
Read More…are those found in rock-cut cave temples at Ajantā, in western India. They belong to the 2nd or 1st century bc and are in a style reminiscent of the relief sculpture at Sānchi. Also found at Ajantā are the most substantial remains of Indian painting of about the 5th century…
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Korean architectureUnified Silla, or Great Silla, period (668–935)…Temple complex is the artificial cave temple, Sŏkkuram, on the crest of Mount T’oham about 1 mile (1.6 km) away. The cave temple is a domed circular chamber with a rectangular antechamber connected by a short corridor, built of granite blocks. The square anteroom houses eight classes of divine guardians…
Read More…Temple complex is the artificial cave temple, Sŏkkuram, on the crest of Mount T’oham about 1 mile (1.6 km) away. The cave temple is a domed circular chamber with a rectangular antechamber connected by a short corridor, built of granite blocks. The square anteroom houses eight classes of divine guardians…
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Korean artSculpture…mature sculptures of the Sŏkkuram cave temple of the mid-8th century. The main Buddha of the cave temple has a massive body and a full, round face. Yet this is no mere hulking physical mass of monumental stone. The tranquil facial expression, the solid massive curves of the upper torso,…
Read More…mature sculptures of the Sŏkkuram cave temple of the mid-8th century. The main Buddha of the cave temple has a massive body and a full, round face. Yet this is no mere hulking physical mass of monumental stone. The tranquil facial expression, the solid massive curves of the upper torso,…
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Chinese architectureThe Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynastiesTang cave temples at Dunhuang were increasingly Sinicized, abandoning the Indianesque central pillar, the circumambulated focus of worship which in Six Dynasties caves was sculpted and painted on all four sides with Buddhist paradises. In the Tang, major Buddhist icons and paradise murals were moved to…
Read MoreTang cave temples at Dunhuang were increasingly Sinicized, abandoning the Indianesque central pillar, the circumambulated focus of worship which in Six Dynasties caves was sculpted and painted on all four sides with Buddhist paradises. In the Tang, major Buddhist icons and paradise murals were moved to…
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Longmen cavescave temples carved into the rock of a high riverbank south of the city of Luoyang, in Henan province. The cave complex, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000, is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations.
Read Morecave temples carved into the rock of a high riverbank south of the city of Luoyang, in Henan province. The cave complex, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000, is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations.
Read More- Tianlong Shan
… containing a series of Buddhist cave temples dating from the mid-6th century. The sculptures in these temples represent the Tang dynasty style of the late 7th and 8th centuries. Many intact and fragmentary examples of these famous Tang sculptures are now in collections outside China. The stone images, which were…
Read More… containing a series of Buddhist cave temples dating from the mid-6th century. The sculptures in these temples represent the Tang dynasty style of the late 7th and 8th centuries. Many intact and fragmentary examples of these famous Tang sculptures are now in collections outside China. The stone images, which were…
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Yungang cavesseries of magnificent Chinese Buddhist cave temples, created in the 5th century ce during the Six Dynasties period (220–598 ce). They are located about 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Datong, near the northern border of Shanxi province (and the Great Wall). The cave complex, a popular…
Read Moreseries of magnificent Chinese Buddhist cave temples, created in the 5th century ce during the Six Dynasties period (220–598 ce). They are located about 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Datong, near the northern border of Shanxi province (and the Great Wall). The cave complex, a popular…
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